Burnt Offerings
by yume girl 91
Summary: A collection of drabbles set during and after post factory.Various pairings: AxR, SxR, MxR, NxR, NxD, SxD,SxK. Drabble.81: Halloween special SxR & extra in-series drabble MxR
1. Pretty

Prompt.1 Pretty.

She walked into the empty apartment, neat as always. The usual sling back heels were missing; probably Touko wouldn't be home for a while yet. Robin placed the folded umbrella beside the stand, her hair dripped droplets down onto her crimson coat. She sighed. She should have known 'he' would like a woman like 'her' not some kid or as the chief often called her: little Robin.

_Little. She was wasn't she? Young, naïve and plain…oh yes. Very plain. She slipped her gloves off and placed them inside her coat pocket which she dropped unheeding the moistness of the fabric onto the immaculate beige sofa. Her went, her footsteps muffled by the stockings she wore, into the side bathroom. Flipping the light on she faced the mirror; two round green eyes looked back at her. _

_In their corners two tiny droplets slid out, the rain she told herself. She hadn't been careful and had lowered the umbrella as she walked back to the apartment building. It was only fair that 'he' would like someone like Touko after all she was so pretty with her wavy light brown hair and clear complexion and her…normalcy. _

A/N: short eh? Anyhow we all know I don't own Witch hunter Robin. Thanks for reading!


	2. Steam

Prompt 2. Steam

"I did not lie."

Her words resounded in the still humid air. Little plips chorused running from the wrist she held up. A discoloration of purple marred the pale skin more like a bruise than anything else. It still hurt where the bullet had grazed her _but why hadn't Amon believed her_?

She closed her eyes.

Steam rose up in spiraling waves.

_~~~*~~~_

The wind gusted hard; her corn yellow hair loose and damp blew loosely into her face.

_He watched_.

She raised a hand up and twined the strands around her fingers, frowning slightly at the chill.

_He knew_.

She went inside closing the sliding door firmly.

_And he was sorry_.


	3. Fire divine

Prompt: _Fire divine_.

Length: 100 words

~~~*~~~

The skirt of the nun's gray habit billowed in scalloped arcs.

She raised her hand to brush away hindering strands of pale blond hair, her emerald eyes turned up to the leaden sky.

Time stood still.

Then as if a great hand had swept the Heavens decreeing the veiled majesty, light, glowing and radiant shone forth parting the storm clouds. Gleaming brighter as though the sky itself burned. The green eyes of the nun reflected wonder, her lips parted in mute enjoyment.

The man, who watched her silently from afar, smiled sadly.

_Innocent now_.

_Though the devil's child she was_.

~~~*~~~

Note: placed before episode one.


	4. Glasses

Prompt.4: Glasses

Words: 163

~~~*~~~

They lay, innocuous; the empty world reflected through their clear half-moon frames on her bedside tabletop. Occasionally her fingers, wandering, searching for the lamp switch would alight on them and she would recoil slightly then slowly she'd hook them up and lift them to her face, squinting in the weak early morning light filtering in from the curtains.

Then she sighed.

A memento of him that's what it was and nothing more, years have passed since he gave them to her. The memory vivid in her mind as if it were yesterday and not in days long gone.

She wonders how _they're doing_?

Her old friends, the ones she left behind.

Green eyes grow misty with remembrance then darken in bitter sorrow.

It wasn't so supposed to happen this way; _he should have been the one to live on_…fingers tighten around the wire frames, distorted light reflects off the cracked lens and she cries.

Alone.

For now she is the one left behind.

~~~*~~~

Note: set Post-factory and if Amon died.


	5. Brothers

Prompt.5: Brothers

Length: 91 words

~~~***~~~

They were alike in almost no way, Amon and Nagira.

Brothers by the blood they shared. Darkness and light, she thought bemusedly one day while the lighter, kinder side of the pair taught her the simplicities of enjoying _fine music_. "You've earned it, kid," he said, his mouth drawn up in a familiar frown.

She took his hand, stepping into the passenger seat of the plush Convertible. Undoubtedly they were only alike in their care for her. For she seriously doubted Amon would ever have red leather seats in his car.

~~~***~~~

Note: set towards the end of the series.


	6. A coat, a fly and flames

Prompt.6: A coat, a fly and flames

Length. 230 words.

Bzzt.

Green eyes blinked; she relaxed her hand, palm up on the window casing of the passengers side, scanning the empty seat beside her for the annoying disturbance.

"A fly?" she murmured when her eyes alighted on a teeny insect no bigger than a quarter of an inch perched on the edge of the steering wheel.

_Poor thing must've slipped in through the cracked_ _window_, or so she thought.

Her eyes closed again.

Bzzzt.

Her nose wrinkled a little; _that sound was really irritating_.

BZZZZTTT.

Louder now as if to demand her attention.

Suddenly something tapped the bridge of her nose, _something with tiny scratchy feet_…

Her eyes flew open, crossing as they drew to a point barely visible on her face. The fly! She raised her hand, bringing it back hard against her nose. Eyes watering she heard the annoying _bzzzt_ as it escaped imminent death.

_Oh no you don't_!

Flames flashed through the Emerald green of her eyes, with satisfaction she saw the incinerated insect plummet down onto Amon's vacant seat…and his black leather trench he had left behind for once. A tiny gossamer wing flared with a teeny spark inches before it struck the shoulder of the coat.

Panicked she swatted the ember before it caught.

Looking back at the nearly invisible hole burned onto her partner's favorite coat, Robin could only hope he'd never notice it…

~~~*~~~

Note: dedicated to my Mum and her everlasting hatred of the flies ;)


	7. I believe

Prompt.7-? : I believe

Length: 123 words

She had learned that having faith in a person—trust unshakable by anyone or anything—could be the choice between life and death.

Indeed this was so.

Her eyes closed even with the threat of his gun pointed toward her.

_I believe in your heart, Amon_.

They stood still as statues, his hesitance speaking the truth.

He lowered the gun; she looked at him, wondering if her belief in him had been right.

_There's my answer_.

_Amon_…?

His cell rang, their moment of faith and trust in one another interrupted. He listened to the words on the other end of the line; turning away he glanced toward her.

_Are you coming_?

She felt herself smile a little in response.

It was still there.

~~~Finis~~~

Note: I'm not sure if the dialogue in italic is quite right…I haven't seen the episode in a while…


	8. Guilt

Prompt.8: Guilt

The ear-splitting discharge of the gun resounded in her head, longer than the time it had spent whistling for the target. A grimace of some stinging pain, body relaxing into the taut throes of a comatose state, and the relieved sighs of her fellow witch hunters.

Robin knows it's wrong to feel guilt.

Witches were meant to be hunt down, so they're only doing their job.

_Would she ever find herself reversed…staring into the barrels of their guns_-?

~Side of a bullet~

Boom. It's green. Boom. She winces as though it were herself falling. Boom. The witch falls. Snap. Robin looks back to see it is Amon who has fired. Sigh. In the back of her mind, a singular thought dwells; _would he hesitate to shoot if it were her as the hunted_-?

_Would any of them-?_

~*~

Note: hope you enjoyed these random WHR drabbles. Side of a bullet is placed in episode Sign of the craft…I can't remember what number it is…

Length: 78 words—Guilt

Length: 56 words—Side of a bullet


	9. Dreams in the rain

Dreams in the rain

Robin didn't like the rain. Seeing the droplets spattering the earth from beyond the skylight in the ceiling, she shivered. The loft was empty, quiet, filled with a chill beyond that of simple emptiness. It lacked life. Life that she felt unable to give. Her trembling became worse; her hands crept to the edge of the extra fleece blanket Hana had sent up as a mercy. Tugging it up her narrow shoulders, closing her eyes against the falling darkness. The darkness that only brought nightmares instead of the rest in oblivion's keep that she longed for.

Behind her lids sometimes a flame burned. Single and ever present while it lasted. Faint comfort it induced, calming her fears, her sleep deepening. Faces she saw, haunting her dreams. Pale Sayoko at work beneath the spreading elms; brush in hand. Ms. Eiko a fellow traveler on a rainy night offering help to stranded stranger. Chie burning alive with her dolls, burning to nothing in a fire arisen from Robin's own craft.

Others too, came into her consciousness.

Karasuma's voice ringing in her ears: _it's our job to hunt witches_…

Even if they had once been your colleague, Karasuma?

Amon's now: _I am the one who hunted your predecessor, Kate._

Did you not care?

Or is it that you're relieved secretly it's not you on the other side?

Robin started out of her dream-state, her eyes fluttering open, her head tilting back to stare up at the leaden sky. It was still raining.

~~~*~~~

Wait.

Michael waited, his back against the low stonewall of the well. Only he knew who was coming from below. A bag of store bought food brought by Karasuma lay at his side. With a slight smile on her narrow aesthetic features, she'd handed it to him.

He now casually withdrew the sealed pack of Onigiri rice balls, while above in the shadowy corner the surveillance camera swiveled and focused in on him.

"Michael," hissed the voice of a young girl.

Calmly he pretended not to hear and concentrated on popping the plastic lid.

"Michael…are you there?"

The camera zeroed in on the hacker's face, adjusting his glasses back over the bridge of his nose, and rolling his shoulders, he practiced great attentiveness to his lunch. There was silence from below. The camera finally tiring of its suspicious vigilance, panned around the room.

Michael finally answered, "I'm here, Ms. Robin."

And for as long as she wanted him to be, _he would_.

~*~

Pairing for _Wait_: Slight MichaelxRobin

Note: two drabbles since I hadn't updated in a long while. :) Is it too much to ask for you to hit the pretty little purple button? Wink ;) wink.


	10. Slanted moonlight

~Slanted moonlight~

All was quiet in the top floor of the STN-J office. The lights were dimmed near to casting the entire room in shadowy darkness only a solitary patch of unnatural blue light emanated from the soft tapping of keys on a keyboard and the reflection mirrored in tinted glasses as Hacker Michael Lee, scooted back, his chair scraping the floor and guiltily he glanced off to the sitting area that lay deeper in the room, afraid of disturbing the rest of the one who dwelt there.

He glanced at the silent clock on the bottom taskbar of his terminal. 12:01 AM. He blinked. 12:02 AM. It could have been hours for all he knew, since Karasuma had brought in a white-faced Robin. Sakaki had been close behind at her heels, worried and exchanging shared looks with his partner. Amon's absence was noticeable. _He'd arrived at the actual site within seconds of the attack but_…

Michael stretched.

Pushed back his chair and walked silently across the room. His way had been to the Coffee pot of which the earlier circumstances had dictated a fresh pot brewed, but he didn't stop.

Robin slept.

He peered into the dim area and long couch where he knew her to lie, covered thinly by her long coat. An odd effect of the light spilling in from the window and somehow refracting back into the shadows fell over her face. Enough to lend dimension to her delicate features and the coy strand of pale yellow hair that trailed over one cheek; he knew it was wrong.

But he wanted to brush it away.

Keep anything from marring the fragile face of the sleeping girl.

He sighed.

Robin stirred some, her face burrowing into the lining of her coat.

He thought he heard her whisper something. It did no good to imagine or believe it wasn't anything other than what his ears told. The Hacker quietly left, going back the circle of desks and his screen saver revolving. He dropped down heavily into the chair, letting it swivel some before pressing his palms to his face. His mouth felt dry. He had forgotten his coffee.

A glance into the screen gave the time. 1:02 AM.

"Amon…"

~~~*~~~

Note: It's been a while since I've seen those two episodes so on a few details I could be a little off. Right now I just didn't have the time to rewatch them. :) I love WHR. Smiles. Reviews are appreciated.


	11. Only one

Only one

If it happened if it ever did happen, what would she say?

Her stoic guardian diverted talking about such matters, his expression darkened with often times a not so unappealing flush creeping up his face when offhand Robin commented that as a married couple they would attract far less attention than a man traveling with a younger female companion.

If it did happen, she hoped she wouldn't act as silly as a young woman of twenty-two years of age would act when a man proposed to her.

(*)*)*)*)*)*)*)

He came one evening to the veranda attached to the room where they were staying. Robin looked out over the darkening night with the stars beginning their soft twinkling and her breath was just the slightest bit foggy from the cool temperatures of the falling winter night.

"Robin." Quietly he said; she felt the lightest touch of his hand on her arm. She turned, her eyes still misty with the night's beauty resting on the most hesitant of expressions the man before her could make. _He was forever serious_.

"Will you marry me?"

She almost thought she was dreaming.

"You…you're the only one for me."

He was holding a ring box.

Her eyes lifted from the square navy blue box taking it from his lax fingers. Inside on a bed of black velvet was a tiny band with three tiny white stones set in a row. It was real. This was real-it was really happening…

But she had to know first before she gave her answer, "do you love me?" As a woman of God before and after her revelations from years ago, she had never completely abandoned her faith. A loveless union to only satisfy the world's curiosity wouldn't be a true marriage.

His response was quiet, "we're more than friends. You know _I do_."

"Then I guess…yes." Robin laughed a little, her hands closing over the small box and all that it symbolized, "I've waited so long for this. Yes!"

~Fin~

Note: A little fluffy. But me thinks it's cute. :) Thanks for reading; reviews are always appreciated. :)


	12. Compulsion

~Compulsion~

To explain it, was impossible.

He couldn't even if he wanted to.

Was it those trusting eyes that followed him obediently? The soft timid voice of a young girl with an equal mixture of devotion and reverence spoken whenever his name fell from her lips?

Another might have been ashamed to treat one as he did her. The same. Only curt commands and faults of hers said in the coldest of tones.

It was a sickening compulsion, but Amon couldn't control it.

~Fin~

Note: If you think about it…Amon was always really mean to Robin during the early eps. ;) Tho' I believe it was just his way of keeping a distance. Yeah. Pretending he wasn't developing feelings for her. Uh-huh. :) Thanks for reading; reviews are always appreciated.


	13. Glance

~Glance~

So near, yet so far…

It seemed even though he was right there, right beside her, but a hundred miles away.

The space within the car wasn't much. Two seats each occupied by two distinctly different people. A young girl in an entirely concealing dress of long sleeves and plain black clasping her slender throat, about her neck on a plain chain hung a red stone the only splash of worn color to accentuate her somber demeanor. The face of the man in the drivers seat with the long tendrils of his dark hair brushing his sideburns, his expression of deep study on the information passing through the phone held in his hand.

He was older, experienced and concise.

She was young, naïve in most of the ways of the world. Sheltered by the holy man of Solomon who had been her guardian.

Her green eyes rose and rested, as she was wont to do askance at the profile of his face so illumined by the streetlight he had parked under.

_He was handsome_, she supposed, _anyone could see that_.

Unbidden her mind replayed the scene of the night days before. _Touko and Amon hand-in-hand walking beneath a shared umbrella in the rain_,_ he didn't know she had seen them_.

_They looked like they belonged together. _

Robin frowned; _she hadn't meant to think that. _

Her hands tightened on her lap; _she didn't want to think that._

She felt his eyes on her and hers rose questioningly; _did he expect something?_

Their glances met.

His head turned, he stared out the window shield.

She grew confused; _had he said something and she missed it?_

"We're going," he said tersely after a moment, "the others are already there."

"Okay." Robin felt the car shudder to life at the turn of the key.

~*~

She missed the slight glances he turned her way at every stoplight when her face was basked in the yellow electric lights and half bathed in shadow. _For that Amon was glad_.

He didn't want to be seen giving into an impulse that was as dangerous as it was indulgent.

It was weakness and nothing more giving into such an impulse that turned Zaizen's attention on the young hunter. The man's suspicions were already raised.

_He would keep her at a distance_.

Resolutely Amon guided the car into the parking space, missing then Robin's _glance_.

~Finis~

Note: two in denial and oh so much fun to describe! ;) Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated.


	14. Face

~Face~

Perfect, inquisitive green eyes staring up at him. A moue of downcast emotion playing about her mouth, her hand resting flat on the top of the desk beside the rolling ball mouse. She was saying something…

_He couldn't focus._

She was gesturing to the case file on the screen then looking to him expectantly.

_He didn't understand what was happening to him._

Karasuma laid her hand briefly on his shoulder, meeting his glassy-eyed glance for a second. "Are you feeling okay, Amon?"

_He was relieved of the weight of Robin's stare_.

"I'm fine," he said coldly, "continue on."

~*~

_He didn't understand at all why he found her face so captivating_.

~Fin~

Note: I am such a noo:b sometimes. Previous drabbles: Compulsion/Glance/Face _are_ set during the early eps before the Inquisition. I'm sorry I did forget to mention that with them. Like I said…I am a noo:b. Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated.


	15. Emotion

~Emotion~

His eyes are emotionless staring down the slender muzzle of the gun.

It isn't the way of the Hunters to show sympathy.

If they did, they would lose their sanity.

He sees Robin's expressed regret and pity for the twin witches of the fire craft and thinks her foolish. He knows this is the way it has to be. She was a silly child to think otherwise. Karasuma agrees even though it pains her slightly to do so.

No one turns when he comes back into the room.

Zaizen has demanded another search of the witch Saki Yoshioka's background to ensure of no connection to their newest hunter.

_He thinks it absurd. _

Even though it isn't his place to question the reasoning behind his Superior's orders. He observes her slight frown in thinking over what Karasuma said. He liked her best poised in quiet contemplation, her face an open book.

Their eyes met.

Robin smiled faintly. Trustingly.

_It was obvious from the start that no such thing existed._

*~*

Note: takes place in ep.9 Sign of the Craft.

Thanks for reading; comments are always appreciated. ^^


	16. Answer

~Answer~

There was no hesitance in his voice coming over into the earpiece of the phone. No denial of what Touko suspected.

"_Is it because of her?"_

He sighed deeply and she imagined his position in the drivers' seat of the car, the cell held to his mouth. His simple response carried a slight resignation that she had never heard before and she envied the girl who could arouse such feeling in the man.

"_Yes."_

Touko let the few seconds silence stretch between them at a loss of words to mend what they never had.

Amon hung up first.

_Love_.

~Finis~

Note: Was this in ep.10? I can't remember. Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated.


	17. Paradox

~Paradox~

_Do not let emotions cloud his judgment_.

"Robin is a witch."

_He had never believed her as such._

Yet the undeniable fine line between hunter and witch had been crossed. But what was done could never be undone. She had killed.

"She is a witch. She must be hunted." His mouth formed the words of sentencing echoing oddly still in the stale air of the empty apartment.

In his hand her forgotten letter crumpled in his tightened grasp.

_Robin…_

~*~

Note: is it a little confusing? Moi was trying to portray Amon's thought process before ep Time to say goodbye. Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated. :)


	18. Test

~Test~

Cold. The muzzle of the gun pressed to her forehead. Her eyes flickered open to the motionless figure of a tall man in shadow hovering over her.

"The time has come, Robin."

"Now." she was gratified to hear her voice betraying nothing. Only quiet acceptance. Her arms move from beneath the rough sheets and lie flat at her sides. She relaxes. She would rather be it him than an unknown faceless hunter from Solomon.

The one sound that escapes her lips; is a prayer, not a cry for mercy.

To be forgiven for her sins.

She doesn't move when a moment or an eternity could have passed. She feels the weight of the man settle over the top of the bedding. Amon bows his head and lightly with his bare hand strokes away the tangled strands of her blond hair from her face.

He kisses her forehead ever so gently, whispering, "You have passed. Rest now."

_It was a test. _

She slips back into sleep with him never leaving her side.

_Nothing more._

~Finis~

Note: an after the factory fell drabble. I figured ever cautious Amon might do something like this. If she put up no resistance—she's not a witch. :) Thanks for reading—no flames—reviews are always appreciated. :)


	19. A drop of Time

~A drop of Time~

Hers was the face of the accused. Pale-cheeked, skirts windblown by the whipping winter wind. Each step taken higher to the waiting scaffold another moment in the long history of those who have past and those who have yet to be born; witches.

She becomes the flame lit in secret of the candle glow, of a prayer, of an act of faith. The faith of a mother whispering to her child growing inside, the one whom she prays will bring them from the darkness and wretched existence.

_320 years…_

For she is Maria's hope as well as theirs: the witches.

~Impulse~

The impulse was there…but he fought it.

It wasn't like him to take an interest in the others beyond their usefulness. Karasuma had known him long enough to know that about him. She alone saw his preoccupation with the young girl. Calling him on it with only the slightest suspicion present in her mind.

A denial would be easy, an interruption even better.

Amon studied the two blond pigtails sprouting up on either side of her head and the impulse was too great to be ignored this time.

"Why do you do your hair like that?"

Robin had no idea how to answer.

~Black Coffee~

The coffee was the way he liked it.

He was surprised even more to find she took it the same.

Bitter with just the hint of something sweet in the box of donuts by the keyboard.

~Finis~

Note: Three in one. :) I didn't like having (A drop of Time) by itself so I did the other two. Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated. :)


	20. Dojima's curiosity

~Dojima's curiosity~

"The last I heard—mind you I haven't stopped by the old office in years was that the Chief had been made Administrator and Michael was free of his collar." Yurika paused in her repetition of news on their old acquaintances, sipping at the frosty mochachino creating a watery ring on the tiny square cocktail napkin by her elbow. Robin nodded slightly lifting her own tiny cup of customary espresso after a meal.

By chance the former hunter/Solomon spy had caught sight of her solitary lunch in the farthest corner table in the crowded café in Barcelona.

By chance Amon wasn't around, he had gone scouting ahead on the next likely place of safety far from HQ's hunters and reach might be. For Robin doubted seriously if he would have tolerated Dojima's loud shriek and joyful outburst of affection as such as she had been greeted with.

"ROBIN!!?" You can guess how it ended.

Now she eyed the slender blond dressed in modest black slacks and tailored shirt lowering her glass with a sigh of contentment and a mischievous gleam in her eye. Robin had to wonder if this had been such a good idea.

"So Robin…" Yurika leaned forward conspiratorially toward her. Accordingly Robin followed suit, looking for all the world like two girl friends sharing boy secrets. "With Amon…" she began then hesitated. Robin waited.

"Have you done IT yet?" she hissed, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Robin started choking on her espresso.

~Finis~

Note: again. Set a few years after the end of the show. ;) Thanks for reading—no flames—but reviews are appreciated. :)


	21. Proximity

~Proximity~

It doesn't take much. Just a simple movement an act of leaning in closer to her; his hand cupping the side of her face. He's reminded of another time, another place and reflects on how things have changed so since then.

_Hunted. Separated. Together finally_.

_But not for the worse_, he thought, allowing himself to close the proximity between them and press his lips to hers, feeling gentle acceptance and his remaining doubts fall away.

~Finis~

Note: Maybe a tad bit sweet. ;) Post factory. Thanks for reading—no flames—reviews are always appreciated. :)


	22. Dancing flames

~Dancing flames~

_Fire burns away all_.

He watched her tears fall, uncontrollable through the anguish thickening her soft voice.

"_Those people…they were just here."_

The tiny droplets rolled down her cheeks, falling to the ground.

Flames dance on the edges of broken glass.

_Just what is she?_ Nagira wonders in amazement and some fear. He doesn't like the unknown even though he knows there are just some things that cannot be explained. What Robin is exactly to his brother is one of those things.

~Fin~

Note: I was going to include another: _Beautiful_. But eh, next time. :) Thanks for reading. No flames. Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	23. Beautiful

~Beautiful~

-Only a friend-

I could handle that; I swear I could if not for _him_. She adores _him_.

I've seen it; they know it. I see Ms. Dojima's sly smile at Robin's back. Karasuma sends her a silent warning before resuming work on the next case. Haruto doesn't seem to care one-way or the other about Robin's mute pining. All he cares about his next highest score on the Gameboy he's playing.

I do.

Amon's reproofs anger me something terrible. It seems to me that I'm the only one who sees her for what she is, a quiet girl who only seeks approval. Ours. More importantly his; _he doesn't deserve her_. My opinion doesn't matter though. I'm just the guy ignored by everyone else, only consulted when needed and who makes his coffee when it's cold and drinks it _alone_. Amon is the one who gets to be around her all the time, not I.

_Thanks, Michael…for being a good friend._

What a sad life.

That's the only thanks I'll ever get.

But that's just me. Maybe I'm just jealous for realizing at this moment that she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

~Finis~

Note: Michael's p.o.v. Thanks for reading.

No flames or SPAM.


	24. Cooking

The message was made painfully clear to Amon about one little aspect that Robin was deficient in.

_Cooking_.

~*~

He supposed being raised in a small convent where good cooking skills weren't to be found that had a lot to do with the burbling nightmare of a beef stew that she presented one night with an innocent smile and an overlarge apron dwarfing her small frame. Amon stared down at the bowl set before him. _What the hell is this_—_?!_ He sensed her hopeful eyes on him and repented a little on his former assessment. It couldn't be _that_ bad right?

Wrong.

After a mouthful, he realized it could be.

~The next day~

"What should I make for breakfast?" Robin asked aloud, absorbed as she was in a cookbook of 30-minute meals. Amon was alarmed but tried his utmost not to show it. The stew of infamy had come from the same book. Now he regretted most ardently his slight praise on the disaster the night before for it seemed she had taken it quite to heart and was now contemplating their meals a week in advance.

"How about—"

"No, that's quite unnecessary," he quickly said, "to save time we'll be having take-out from now on."

~Fin~

Note: post factory while on the run. ;) Thanks for reading. No flames or idiotic spammers.


	25. Message: not received

~Message: not received~

It was easy, Sakaki knew, to make friends with somebody. Simply hold out your hand and say hello.

_Say hello to her_, _you idiot_.

Robin Sena, the newest addition to the team of STN-J witch hunters, walked in. Never late like Dojima; she was prompt to the point of punctuality. Karasuma greeted her as well as Michael, cheerfully now, giving off the impression of warmth, losing the cool distance that he always affected with the others.

"Sakaki?"

He realized he had been standing in the same spot. Staring at her like some kind of idiot. _Say something_. Sakaki opened his mouth to speak the tardy greeting only to be never heard by anyone as Amon appeared.

The debriefing was called to order.

~*~

_This is ridiculous_. He sat in the semi-darkness of the room, his eyes unseeing on the screen before him. Michael was pulling up schematics of their last hunt and everyone but him were paying attention. _Is it so hard to speak to a girl--it's not like that! Colleague_? _Good morning, Robin_...he chewed his gum, his mind wandering.

He felt someone watching. _Please don't let it be the chief_-!

Braving a brief glance at the shadowed assembly, Sakaki was surprised to find himself confronted by a pair of emerald green eyes. Robin smiled faintly and then her attention was given to Amon who began speaking. Sakaki did not hear a word.

_She...smiled at me_?

~*~

"Need a refill?" he had practiced for a while, repeating the simple question in his mind for the last twenty minutes, only remembering every so often to lean closer to his workstation giving off the impression of working hard whenever the chief or Hattori went by.

Robin turned up, a pen held in her hand above paper had ceased the writing of some obscure footnote from an old case. "No," she answered--_prettily_, was the thought that occurred to Sakaki; Michael had already served her another cup.

_Oh...he had done it_. Shooting the hacker whose back was to him, a strange look, Sakaki went to his station feeling slightly distracted. _What was happening to their aloofness?_

~*~

"Good morning, Ms. Robin." said the custodian behind the reception desk near the doors. Sakaki exited the elevator with Karasuma in time to catch the phrase of welcome leaving the usually quiet man's lips. The young girl in black replied something in response and the man smiled. Even Karasuma, before joining Sakaki at the door to the below ground parking garage, called out a brief greeting to Robin.

Sakaki, his mind on other things like the warning he'd received from the chief, heard his name said and looked up. He caught a glimpse of Robin's smile and then she moved on toward the elevator.

He had forgotten to say something in return.

~*~

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Sakaki glanced and saw slight concern in Karasuma's expression. _He was surprised_. "Nothing. Why do you ask?" he balanced his elbow on the window casement, looking back out to the suspect's apartment. The building was quiet.

"You just seem..." she struggled for a moment, "preoccupied more than usual."

_More than usual_? Sakaki felt a twinge of annoyance.

"I just figured something was bothering you."

He didn't respond, sensing the older woman's eyes on him. He thought of Robin's eyes and then shook his head. "No, it's nothing really. I--"

"The suspect's moving!" and just like that, Karasuma's attention was focused elsewhere and Sakaki went along with her. Relieved just the littlest bit that the craft user couldn't scry his thoughts with her gloves on.

~*~

6:40 AM.

Sakaki checked the time on his cell; outside the sky was still gray with the sun soon to rise to dispel the remaining vestiges of night.

6:43 AM.

A brief message would all it would be. Just a little thing on his part that he felt he had failed so far to give on behalf of their newest hunter. That's all. _As a colleague_.

6:44 AM.

_Good morning, Robin_. He typed then added a smiley face icon below his name. _From, Sakaki_. Satisfied, he looked it over and hit send. She always carried her cell and was sure to open it when the text was received.

6:45 AM.

She walked in, no cell in hand. Karasuma rose to greet her and even the chief stepped out to have a few words as well. Sakaki had the sense that something was off. Covertly scanning the screen of his phone while the others were on the other side of the room, his eye was immediately caught by the tiny message flashing on the top screen.

Message: not received.

~Fin~

12/1/09

Note: instead of just saying 'hello'! I wonder how this came out-? I've never really written anything in Sakaki's p.o.v before, but he does seem a little--maybe social skills lacking? Maybe _I'm_ wrong. Ah well, instead of the usual AxR or MxR, I did this one with a hint of SxR since today is moi's birthday! I hope no one minds. :) set early series but before ep.9. Thanks for reading--no flames or idiotic spammers! :)


	26. Devil

~Devil~

There was a part of her that didn't believe what the dying man had said.

_The Devil's child._

She sensed the others longing, dying to question her further as to the deeper meaning perhaps imparted to her from a sentence they couldn't understand. _It isn't true is it_...

The Devil existed in her faith. From infancy to the extent of her fifteen years of life, _his_ presence had always cast a shadow and fervent appeal to the lips of the faithful to the Lord above..._lead us not into temptation_...

"But delivery us from evil."

_Witches were evil, weren't they_?

"Huh? You say something?"

_So, what did that make her? _

Robin felt the weight of Dojima's stare transfer from the windshield and building in the distance to rest on her. _Answers_. _That's all I need_. "No," Robin said quietly. Dojima looked at her for a moment longer then away, wrapped in her own thoughts about the coming days.

~*~

_It isn't true...is it, Juliano?_

~Finis~

Note: there was a fluffyish Amon's p.o.v thingy to be added on to this one however I felt it needed some tweaking. :) Next time. Soon. Really, tho' it's late here. I'm going to bed. Thanks for reading--no flames or idiotic spammers, but reviews are always appreciated. :) Another thing, if you'd like more MxR, just say so! :)


	27. Mute button

~Mute button~

The mouse hovered over the sound bar, clicking once, he let go. Nobody noticed. The ear buds secured, running from the black tower into his ears emitted no sound. He shifted a little in his chair, peering intently into the computer screen in front of him, focused entirely on what lay behind reflected in a soft blue glow.

_Robin._

She was talking to Ms. Karasuma, her hushed voice falling like music on his ears. He even remembered to go through the motions of lowering one round bud from his ear when their conversation drifted down to him. Robin placed a slim hand capped by tiny ruffles belonging to a long black sleeve on the back of his chair and leaned forward, smiling as Karasuma looked on, frowning faintly. Though it was something she perhaps did without thinking anything of it, Michael felt no qualms on indulging Robin's fancy; no matter how the others might feel displeasure.

Simply refusing on grounds such as that were hastily swept away with one glance of two dark green eyes.

~Finis~

Note: early series. Next one: 'Indifferent' AxR fluffiness. ;)

:)Thanks for reading--no flames or idiotic spammers--reviews are always appreciated. :)

Note: Mycha commented on something so on looking back it was a little vague ;) he means that she was resting her chin on his shoulder and he didn't mind--Karasuma did. ;)


	28. Indifferent

~~~*~~~

~Indifferent~

He tried to be indifferent when he sensed the young girl first in danger of falling in love with him. Dismissing her from his presence, brushing her aside with cold words and even crueler actions that spoke the denial he was so desperate to never reveal.

_Attraction. _

_Youth._

_Inner-fire. _

_Love._

He thought he'd never feel this way about another. Let alone _her_.

~Finis~

Note: of course, AxR. I thought it was a bit short, however I'm bundled up like an eskimo-or something in front of the computer posting this--so... oh well. Next time: Afterhours.

;) Thanks for reading--no flames or idiotic spammers. Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	29. Afterhours

~Afterhours~

Invariably there came rare times of slowness at the STN-J. Days when hours of surveillance on suspected witches gleaned nothing more than aching feet and tired eyes, or was taken up by research on the next target. This was one such afternoon; Sakaki scrolled down the menu of his current game, having lost five times in a row. Feeling slightly disgusted, he turned curious eyes to the quiet chatter of Karasuma and Robin by the window. Hazy motes of dusky sunlight filtered in, throwing dull gold highlights onto Robin's hair. She nodded slightly, agreeing with something the elder hunter said.

_He wondered what it was_.

Then as if becoming aware of his attention now focused on them; Robin smiling, addressed him, "Sakaki, what do you do after hours?"

His brow rose; _so that was what they were talking about_. He had to smile slightly in return. _Trust Karasuma to not be discussing the latest sales catalogue from Hanai Mori_. "Nothing," he said after a moment, leaning back, his hands folded behind his head. It was Karasuma's turn to scoff in disbelief, "somehow I doubt that. No secret hot date planned for Saturday-?" she teased, in a rare mood of playfulness.

Sakaki pretended to rise to her bait, all the while keeping an eye on Robin. It seemed as though she had suddenly found her cup of half-filled coffee interesting. _Odd_. "No, unfortunately," he sighed, affecting an attitude of nonchalance, observing quite curiously the young hunter rouse herself slightly in response. _Almost like...she was relieved-?_

_He couldn't understand why_.

"So, no girlfriend? Sakaki?" Robin asked gently.

Unconsciously a slight flush crept into his countenance and he found the flooring had grown incredibly fascinating. _He couldn't speak quite properly when her eyes were on him like that_. "Um, no," he mumbled, his hand straying to the 2-D world contained within the Game boy.

"Probably because no girl in her right mind would go out with him," interrupted a decidedly gleeful feminine voice from the other side of the room. "Yurika!" Karasuma said simultaneously as the infamous gleaming bald pate of their irritable Chief leaned out of the debriefing room, barely restrained ire in his tight voice. "Do-ji-ma...!"

"Yes, sir?" the cheeky blond hunter replied innocently.

"Do you have any idea how late it..."

Sakaki tuned them out. A tirade was sure to follow and he could only think that she had it long in coming_, waltzing in and out_--

A light pat on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. Karasuma had moved on silently to the doorway of the meeting room, ready to intercede if necessary on Dojima's behalf_. She was lucky to have a friend like that. But then that only left_...Sakaki blinked, a little surprised and somewhat pleased at Robin's unexpected gesture.

He looked up at her, her smile was kindly, "we should hang out together one day, perhaps..." she trailed off quietly. Waiting as he realized for an answer. "Y-yeah," he managed to say moments after Karasuma had called her over. Gazing after her with a look of slight wonder at her taking such a bold step in getting to know him better, Sakaki didn't miss the puckered brow and frowning face, the hacker made between the terminals.

_Just what was his problem_?

~Finis~

Note: eek. Sorry it's late. My mum decided to hog our terminal--computer ;) so I had this late in getting out. ;P again, implied SxR and...one-sided MxR? ^.^ anyway, thanks for reading--no flames, stupid comments--you know what I mean, and idiotic spammers!

Reviews are always appreciated.


	30. Maturity

~Maturity~

"Robin."

An ominous quiet followed which was only broken in the slight din of electronic gunfire and rapid button pressing. Sakaki shrugged innocently at the accusing glare that he was favored by. "What? She asked me what I was doing so I showed her."

Amon could not keep from rolling his eyes heavenward.

He had _thought_ Robin was above such immature amusements but was dismayed to discover she_ wasn't_.

~Finis~

Note: just a little something that came to me earlier while battling with my computer. It's being EVIL right now so I just did this little piece. Next time, MxR ;)

No flames, stupid comments (you know what I mean) or idiotic spammers!

Thanks for reading, reviews are always appreciated. :)


	31. Bandages

~Bandages~

Sakaki hissed.

Robin withdrew the cotton swab from the burn on his arm, "I'm sorry," she said quietly, her gaze lowering in an attitude of great contrition. "You'd better be!" he snapped, inspecting the wound with narrowed eyes. She winced slightly and he regretted his hastily spoken words. _Poor kid_...he didn't have to pass his glance over to the doorway of the meeting room to sense the lead hunter's disapproving presence. _He had really given her a major chewing out. Not that her craft wasn't dangerous_, Sakaki amended. On the contrary, he himself knew firsthand how perilous it was by being too close in the line of _fire_.

His jacket and minor burns could attest to that.

"I'm sorry," Robin repeated, catching him off guard for a moment. She looked so sweet, sitting there, her head tilted down, her small hands balled on her lap. "It's alright, _little Robin_," Sakaki couldn't resist smirking at her diminutive pout at his usage of the Chief's nickname for her.

"No harm done. At least nothing permanent." he chuckled, "what say you to dinner at Harry's tonight?" Her startling green eyes rose and a light flush animated her face. "My treat," he finished. Before she could reply however, Amon's cold voice interrupted, "_we_ have work to do. There will be no going out tonight."

A hush fell over them and even Karasuma glanced up briefly from the computer screen she had been working on. The temperature in the room had suddenly become much colder.

"I understand, Amon." Robin said after a moment.

Sakaki said nothing, feeling the inscrutable gaze of two impassive onyx eyes pass over him. The look was not friendly. With relief he felt it lift and transfer to someone else.

"Karasuma, bandage Sakaki's arm. Robin, come with me." Amon turned swiftly on his heel without waiting for the young girl to follow. "What's with him?" Sakaki's erstwhile partner puzzled, moving to comply with her orders.

"Hmph. He's just jealous," Sakaki muttered under his breath.

Karasuma picked up the roll of bandages Robin had discarded, looking at him strangely, "did you say something?"

"Nope. Not at all." Sakaki watched Robin's slender black clad form disappear through the doorway.

~Finis~

Note: set early series. Let's just say a spark fell and happened to land on poor Sakaki. Not that Robin's aim was terrible. ;) she already had the glasses. :P I know I said MxR this time...but...well...by the time I came up with the idea for this one it was late and I didn't have anything else. :P sorry. Tho' I've just been a bit scattered today because of something coming up on Monday. Ick. Ah well.

Thanks for reading.

No flames, stupid comments (you know what I mean!) or idiotic spammers!

Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	32. Silence

*~Silence~*

She liked silence.

One where no words were spoken.

Or were needed.

(*)

He was used to the din of electronica filling his ears and the sounds of muffled keys pressed beneath rapid fingertips. He was secretly pleased whenever the hunters deigned to speak with him on one matter or another. It broke the monotony of his imprisoned solitude.

_When all was quiet...it felt lonely. _

(*)

Night was when all creatures sought rest.

For the two alone in the building shrouded by darkness...silence surrounded them.

_But it wasn't lonely._

For her, words weren't needed to express the gratitude in his youthful bespectacled face when she brought a refill of freshly brewed coffee, the mug lightly steaming to his workstation.

_Because she was there._

For him...he didn't mind the quiet she brought into his little world.

~Fin~

Note: Robin was pulling a late shift. Set sort of early but not during the first four eps.

I was imagining a slight Christmas themed one with Dojima planning something. ;)

Thanks for reading.

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Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	33. Mistletoe

~Mistletoe~

She had a hard time convincing them that her plans did _not_ always fail.

_Yurika Dojima's ideas did NOT end up in disasters or flames for that matter_, the blond hunter sniffed haughtily. She was favored by four unconvinced looks. The matter of such serious discourse being a certain sprig of Holiday greenery picked up in a store downtown and whose meaning even had the usually reserved Karasuma blushing slightly.

Whether from an irritable emotion of her own or from reading another more _evil _ design left by Yurika's fingerprints on the small plastic package, Miho was not happy.

"This is ridiculous, Yurika," denounced the brunette craft user. She made as if to hand back the sprig of ill repute to the purchaser but Dojima held her hands up, shaking her head. "Nuh-uh. You're _keeping _them."

Sakaki stared at her as if he thought she had a few screws loose. His sprig was sticking slightly out of the pocket of his blue jacket. _He made no move to give it back however._

Robin held it between two fingers, scrutinizing it suspiciously_. It looked familiar and rang a bell however she could not place where she had seen such an artifact. _

Michael had tossed his in the drawer of the desk and was currently ignoring them all. _He knew what the mistletoe meant but as of yet hadn't decided if he wanted to keep it. _

"Everybody knows..." Yurika started crooning, "a turkey and some mistletoe bring the love season--"

"Actually, you're wrong." Michael interrupted dryly, "it's _'help make the season bright._'"

Yurika sniffed, "well, maybe."

Soon the sounds of someone clearing their throat followed and the argument was closed. The Chief had arrived from the Police station in a not very merry mood. _Being forced to work on a Holiday_...he was heard wheezing angrily the rest of the day...

~*~

If the reaction to her little gifts had affected her, Yurika did not show it.

She was her same cheerful, happy self even when mysteriously three of the four sprigs appeared on her desk beneath some papers. She looked at them for a moment, a new idea coming to her...

No one noticed the slight sneaky smile that turned up the corners of her mouth if they had they'd have been terribly afraid for whatever she was scheming now.

~*~

It was Christmas eve and all through the STN-J office on the top floor, were the grumbles of hunters being forced to work late on this most joyous holiday.

Yurika sensed it was time to put her plan into action.

_When...everyone was least expecting it._

Situating herself near the door and by luck, Sakaki. Yurika cried out pointedly, "mistletoe!" Everyone's heads of course swiveled to her and then upward to the sprigs of greenery hanging above. She grinned, _things were progressing so far to plan_. The light switch was also conveniently right by her.

The room went dark.

Hurried footsteps crossed the room and seemed to collide with something.

Two cries came and Yurika heard movement in the doorway.

_Her target was escaping!_ So thinking this...she jumped on the stocky male form and locked lips with another's cold immobile ones.

~*~

It wasn't until another moment later when the lights were flicked back on that everyone truly saw who their accidental partners were.

"Oh, yuck! I just kissed an old woman!" Sakaki cried, his hand flying to his mouth.

Miho scowled and looked downright murderous, "well, excuse me for being _old_!"

Robin blushed delicately and Michael turned back to his computer, pleased.

Yurika winced, coming close to shaking in her boots. _That only left_...

Amon stood in the doorway, a queer half-smile/smirk frozen on his mouth.

"Care to explain, Dojima?"

~fin~

Note: yay for Michael getting the girl! ;) Merry Christmas! 12/23/09

Thanks for reading.

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Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	34. Gloves

~Gloves~

_Amon._

That wasn't surprising.

_Jerk._

That either.

_Said about..._

He was worried. Her brows drew together faintly, sensing more.

_Replacement._

Her lips pursed.

_Wish I had a better partner. _

Little brat. Her finger tapped against the steering wheel.

_Ms. Karasuma's_...

"Sorry, I took so long," the car door opened abruptly to admit the owner of the thoughts. Miho turned to look at him, frowning slightly, "I'm _what_?" Sakaki instantly froze in a position of denial, which if you asked him was pretty hard to do considering he was already inside the car with a potentially snappish craft user who was also a better _shot_ than he.

"What're you t-talking about, Ms. Kara--"

"_Wish I had a better partner_, ring a bell?" she remarked sarcastically.

Comprehension dawned, "oh! It's not what you--"

The ringing of her cell interrupted.

Glowering still, she answered it crisply without betraying her annoyance to Michael who had a schematic on their latest hunt. They were to head to the location immediately where eventually Amon would rendezvous with them

She decided upon hanging up to deal with Sakaki later.

~Months later~

"H-here." Looking anywhere but at her, Sakaki held out an elongated flat box.

She took it hesitantly, wondering what it could be. _Gloves_?

The lid set aside revealed the contents of a pair of slim black lamb leather gloves. Taken aback, Miho slowly lifted them out, feeling his eyes on her.

"Why?"

"For the best partner I know." he winked then cockily added, "now you won't be able to read my thoughts anymore."

Miho thumped him lightly on the arm, but appreciated the gesture all the same.

~Finis~

Note: the first part was set in the first ep, before the hunt began and Robin showed up on the scene. The second half takes place a little after the factory collapse.

Second note: slight-if you squint-SxK

Thanks for reading. No flames, stupid comments (you know what I mean!) Or idiotic spammers!

Reviews are always appreciated. :)


	35. Instant Noodles

~Instant noodles~

"For New Years?" she studied the steaming cup of Instant noodles with a slight dubious look. Nagira waved her to a chair beside his desk. Robin approached it and sunk down slowly, still clasping cold hands around the warm cup.

"Don't ask me. I just know what Hana told me," he said gruffly, setting his own noodle cup on a coaster near the open Laptop displaying the countdown to midnight taking place in uptown Tokyo.

11:57 PM

He passed her a pair of chopsticks folded in a napkin.

11:58 PM

She took them quietly, her eyes on the screen.

11:59 PM

"Soba noodles..." Nagira muttered to himself, peeling the lid back on his cup releasing a shrimp flavored steam into the cool air of the darkened office. "Eating them at midnight is supposed to bring you luck in the new year...I have a feeling we're going to need it," he paused, glancing up. A thousand cheers erupted in the soft glow of the computer screen. 12:00 AM

Robin smiled, "happy new year, Nagira."

He smiled slightly in return, "yeah. Happy new year, kid. Let's dig in."

~Finis~

AN: In Japan, it's traditional to eat Soba noodles at midnight. I read that somewhere. ;) The year before my mum and I did it. Anyway, happy new year! :)

Thanks for reading.

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	36. Little Lady

~Little Lady~

The nickname never bothered her.

Oh, she teased him plenty about it in company and out of.

But always in secret, she wondered the reason for it...

~*~

"Say, Nagira?"

They had met by chance, he at the bar ordering a late drink and she on reconnaissance for Solomon. No one from the STN-J knew she had arrived back in Japan. She wished to keep it that way.

"Hmm, little lady?" he stirred his drink, the chink of the tiny crystalline cubes taking her back to another time. _Robin_...she smiled slightly, her gaze lowered. "Oh, nothing. I just always wondered why you called me that. That's all." Yurika sighed in affected nonchalance, reaching for her glass. His hand on hers made her stop and glance curiously into the _shady_ Lawyer's face.

Nagira was smiling, "you really want to know?"

Yurika felt herself smile teasingly in response, "yeah, I do, big guy."

Slowly he leaned toward her, whispering softly so that the bartender Harry might not hear.

"Because you were always _my_ little lady, Yurika."

~Finis~

Note: the first part is pre factory, the second half is post, it being at least a year or two passing and also Dojima leaving STN-J shortly after the collapse of the factory. :) implied NxD.

Thanks for reading.

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	37. Smoke

~Smoke~

Fire was...beautiful.

He had never thought so, believing it to only be a source of heat, warmth on a cold night.

_The power to burn away evil._

He guessed he'd never noticed the way it flickered and dispelled the darkness before.

He wondered idly if those who'd fallen to her craft found something terrifyingly lovely in the sinuous way it crept inside the skin and inflamed you from the inside.

And then it happens.

He can no longer think, no longer see the burning mass he has become.

And she stands there.

Motionless. Terrible. Silhouetted by fallen innocence and centuries of yesterdays never forgotten.

Smoke and ash is all that remains of him.

~Older~

She doesn't like being unsure and this--_this_--definitely counts as being uncertain.

He's asked her out.

She reminds him coworkers are forbidden from socializing afterhours.

He tells her that was then, this is now.

Miho scowls at his flippancy but remembers just in time that she isn't _much_ older than him.

She just can't recall a time when her date arrived on a motorcycle offering a spare helmet for the ride over to the restaurant.

~Evening prayers~

He comes upon her, her soft voice quiet in the hush of the large room.

Praying.

He didn't get why she felt the need to turn her eyes to the patch of darkening sky visible through the skylight, green orbs imploring in silent reach for guidance.

He knows she scared, but won't admit it.

She frightened even of what she thinks she's becoming.

Witch.

It's a taboo word that would never leave his lips in describing her.

No. No matter what he's seen, Nagira doesn't believe this young child faithfully praying to a wrathful God, is a witch.

Now all he has to do is convince _another_ of that...

~Finis~

Note: I did three to make up for not updating this yesterday. :)

Smoke: yes, Robin does do_ it_.

Older: short SxK post factory

Evening prayers: during series. Nagira's p.o.v

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	38. Sweet Lie

~Sweet lie~

She was taught never to lie.

Lies were honeyed words that fell from devils tongues meant to lead astray and harm.

But this...

"When the time comes, I want you to do it."

It hadn't been a lie then, not with his dark eyes so intent in her own. Trusting. Yes. It was strange to think so, but yes, the frigid shell of an ex hunter/man had opened up a part of himself to her. And now...

_She wanted to live_.

She clasped her hands to her ears to block out the voices in her mind.

Screaming.

Crying.

Demanding she become what they want.

_A witch_.

~*~

"Robin." His familiar voice, one in the many sea, drowns out the rest, pulling her back into reality. "Yes, Amon?" she answers quietly, her face a mask of placid calmness never reflecting the torment within.

~Finis~

Note: poor Robin. I wonder if it makes sense? I tried to portray it as if she was slowly losing her mind--his task being to kill her first before that happened being put to the test by her realization that she wanted to live-? I'm rambling. -.- sorry. But really this could almost be considered a prequel to the previous drabble (Smoke)

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	39. Secret

~Secret~

"Ms. Karasuma."

In the company of others. A touch of insolence with the right amount of cheek dashed in for effect. Miho could almost believe it. And if he slipped up once or twice...

"Miho, can you--"

She gently chided him on respecting his elders. Dojima would gaily join in on the teasing, never thinking anything else beyond his reddened face and vehement denial had to do with the brunette craft user standing beside her.

_After all, their relationship was supposed to be kept secret. _

~Finis~

Note: post factory--supposing Yurika stayed with STN-J.

Established: SxK though as the chapter read--it is kept a secret from the others. Yeah...you know Dojima would find out sooner or later!

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	40. Scars

~Scars~

Her finger was light tracing the one over his abdomen.

The mark not yet faded.

Another along his shoulder blade, this one jagged, the wound had run deep. She presses her lips to it, asking in that quiet voice of hers, _if it hurts anymore? _She is sorry for being a burden to him_. _

He stays silent, but that is not unusual, she knows he is a man of few words though his emotions are always kept well-hidden from prying eyes. But not from her.

She is the only one who has been able to relax his guard and they both know it.

~Finis~

Note: post Factory. Just a hint of sweetness AxR

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	41. Stranger at the corner store

~Stranger at the corner store~

The bell jingled above the door to the corner store. The one two blocks from his apartment and three from STN-J. He nodded to the clerk's salutation; _he came here often enough to be recognized_.

The meat pasties were to die for.

He went to the accustomed countertop case, withdrawing from within a steaming paper wrapped specimen and as always stopped before the mini fridge a few feet away from the counter to add a blue can of Bepsi Cola to his solitary dinner.

A slender figure in black hovered at the edge of his sight.

Oval face, strawberry blond hair, delicately tapering chin, pale lips parted and eyes...

Green eyes. Like _hers_.

The moment seemed suspended in time. He wants to say something, but can't find his voice. Irritatingly, it is the clerk who speaks instead. Hands her, her bag and change and then she was gone. Simply, silently out the door. Michael dropped his unpaid for purchases on the counter and rushes out. Ignoring the clerk's questions_. You look like you've seen a ghost_.

Robin.

It's been five years since the factory collapse.

Five long and lonely years of searching and hoping. Dojima had said no one could've survived, but then Michael was never one to believe her.

_As long as_...

There, farther down, slim hand on the rail to pull herself up into the bus.

"Robin!"

He's too far away to cover the distance between them.

The girl stops, turns, and their gazes lock.

It is her.

She smiles gently.

Michael blinks behind amber tinted frames and the bus pulls away, taking with it the only woman he's ever loved.

_She's alive_.

~Finis~

Note: MxR a tad bit bittersweet if you ask me. :) Thanks for reading.

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	42. Hidden

~Hidden~

His footsteps were silent.

The slender girl in the tight form-fitting uniform hands the package to the receiver.

A delivery girl. That's what she is.

She gets on the bike and pedals fast, faster than he can keep up. But no matter there's other contacts to check on and then there's still that old woman to question.

Work calls.

But he doesn't move.

Can't. Because his feet wish to take him elsewhere. Somewhere perhaps where the girl will look up when passing. She'll see him and--

But Amon refuses to allow that scenario-fantasy to play in his head. It would jeopardize the mission to have himself seen by her so early on. Unconsciously his gloved hands grip at his sides.

Nagira's taking care of her.

She's in good hands...but not in his.

~Finis~

Note: sorry for the wait. Thanks for reading; I'd love to do another MxR drabble, but I want to do a happy one! :) any suggestions?

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	43. Snow

~Snow~

She said she had never seen it before: snow.

Cold, fat white flakes spinning to the ground, clinging to her fair hair, her pink cheeks. He tells her to be careful; _the sidewalk is slippery_. His tone is harsh and he regrets it when she glances back, a slim, young girl in black, emerald green eyes bright in her thin face.

Her hand extends to him instead of words, an impossibly delicate, child-like hand with long slender fingers.

He isn't sure why he takes it or just why he manages not to become angry when she's pulled him down with a strength incomprehensible for her small body to hold, to the fluffy drifts on the ground. He doesn't censure her for the laugh that bubbles past her lips at the sight of him sprawled there, white flurries landing on his heavy coat, winded from the fall...a tiny smile pulls at the corners of his stern mouth.

_He likes to see her this way; childish and innocent without a care in the world, _though he'd never admit it.

And when she flops back down, her mittened hand tight in his gloved fist, she suggests they make a pair of snow angels and he agrees that wouldn't be a half bad idea.

~Finis~

Note: post factory. Robin was of course properly attired in winter clothes--not her usual high-collared dress. :) Thanks for reading. Hopefully Amon wasn't a little too o-o-c. I have an idea for another MxR one...

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	44. Valentine's day

~Valentine's day~

_I can't believe I am doing this--I can't believe--_

"Amon, it would help if you would stop glaring at Sakaki and maybe look at me every once in a while," suggested Miho dryly. The lead hunter slid his gaze to her face then back, looking somewhere over her shoulder at the young rookie and his _supposed_-partner _sitting quite_-as Amon's mind kept insisting-_close together_.

_Their knees were nearly touching for Gods sakes_!

They looked more the part of the boyfriend and girlfriend that they were pretending to be rather than he and Karasuma. It was all Dojima's fault...if only she hadn't come up with this ludicrous plan...and then mysteriously vanished the day it was scheduled for.

He refused to think she'd had a point to which everyone had more or less agreed.

He looked too old to be sitting at a table with Robin on the day of love...Karasuma suited him better, a notion which made him think she had insinuated he was an old fogy or at least that he **and** Karasuma were old fogies.

Never mind, he would get Dojima later for this...this humiliation.

"Hey."

A modest foot encased in a navy pump knocked against his shin lightly; Amon glared, Karasuma ignored it and jerked her head toward the small wraparound bar. He glanced, seeing it indeed to be their suspect, a gaunt man who came their way, his long horsey face wreathed in a smile.

_Please don't let him tell us what every other waiter has been saying_--

Amon's worst nightmare came true.

"Aw, what a nice pair of sweethearts you make! Happy Valentine's day! And what can I get for this beautiful young lady?"

Karasuma blushed slightly and Amon's hand twitched toward the gun in its holster beneath his coat.

This was going to be a painful afternoon indeed...

~Finis~

Note: poor Amon on the day of love...during series of course. Hints of SxR and AxK? Apologies in advance is there is o-o-c. I wanted to get this one done before posting the MxR one.

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	45. Storm

~Storm~

_What a night to be working late_...he thought, leaning back in his chair, arms stretching above his head. Over on Robin's desk were two thick binders full of unsolved cases that Amon had tasked her to memorize other than those on the CD-ROM. _Poor girl_, Michael tilted his head to the side, looking around the empty terminals. Robin herself was across the room, coffee pot poised above two white mugs. Steamy brown liquid was steadily filling them.

The window panes rattled.

Lightning streaked the dark sky.

Startled, the steady stream of coffee splashed against the tabletop and downward before she righted it with a tiny cry. _He didn't blame her for her sudden fright_. Instantly she dropped to her knees, long skirt pooled around her like a dark puddle. Paper towels from the roll kept by the creamer and sugar, dispensed in one quick movement. Michael moved to help her, "hey, careful. Don't burn--"

The lights flickered.

He was almost there, _just a couple more steps_...

Another powerful gust of wind shuddered against the glass; the drawn back curtains revealed the familiar city skyline under the deluge of darkness and rain. Michael saw her tremble, her lips whitening, her eyes growing wide and fearful.

The Hacker dropped down beside her, a smile that hadn't graced his face in what-felt like years, crept on, his heart lightening, "you don't like storms?"

Robin tried to smile, her hand laxly holding on to the sodden towel, "whenever there was a storm going on outside, I used to huddle under my blankets, the other girls there would..." she trailed off a little uncertainly. "Go on," Michael encouraged, curious about this tiny bit of her past even when the rest was largely unknown. Digging in HQ's records sent over, could only glean so much. He wanted to know her-for-her. Not just the cold hard facts of her life.

"...they would laugh and shriek at their own fright until the sisters would come and tuck us all into bed again," Robin finished. He was pleased to see the faintest of smiles tugging on the downcast corners of her lips.

"Sisters? Was it a convent?" he knew the answer already but was surprised at the warmth present in her voice when she replied."Yes, it was. I was taken there when I was a baby and raised by members of the clergy."

"You must miss them, being here in Japan." He had heard the affection in her voice for those men and women of the cloth whom had watched her grow up and go away under Solomon's

orders. Only to come to them, the STN-J. He felt a slight bit of remorse that they hadn't welcomed her the way they should've.

Her eyes softened, "I don't mind. The people here really aren't as different as from where I come from and besides..."

"What?"

"If I hadn't accepted the position here, I wouldn't have met Amon or Karasuma and Dojima and Sakaki...not to mention the Chief." She giggled softly and he joined in, chuckling quietly until her mirth had faded.

He felt hesitant about asking what had first come into his mind, "Robin..."

"Yes?" her head was tilted at a questioning angle.

"What about _me?"_

She understood, "Michael, I..."

~*~

Somehow, though the lights went out and they were plunged into sudden darkness...neither were afraid anymore.

~Finis~

Note: Set early series. I wanted a hint of sweetness-not angst! No Robin pining over Amon here! ;) AxR is the best of course, but I also like MxR! Go, Michael! He really was such a sweetie and not paranoid like Amon-kun. Thanks for reading :)

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	46. Opposites

~Opposites~

Were they so different, he and she?

Maybe.

Nail salons were a Godsend and the newest shopping catalogues were delivered to her door and perused during work times--if the Chief happened to _not_ catch her, later on simply wising up by confiscating the distracting items before she'd had a chance to examine their glossy contents.

Somehow they always found their way back to her terminal.

The 2-D world was his playground. Dungeons swarming with flesh-eating ghouls and Damsels to be rescued from fire-breathing Dragons; he always got to play the hero, even when everyone made light of him in reality. _There was Sakaki again, wasting his time with ridiculous video-games,_ the chief would grumble.

Sakaki pretended not to hear; it was easier that way.

~*~

Some things are meant to be.

And maybe, he and she were one of those things.

It happened one day not long after the collapse of the factory and the numerous revelations that followed. Yurika had decided to stay on at STN-J for reasons she refused to disclose save that HQ for a time would indulge her wishes.

She had something unfinished there and she meant once and for all to complete it.

~*~

When Sakaki asked her if she wanted a ride home, she assented with a slight smile and a nod.

~*~

On the motorcycle, sitting behind him, arms around his waist, waiting at a traffic light.

Yurika asked him if _he would be willing to have a drink with her at a nearby place she knew_.

The response she received was: _Was she asking him out on a date?_

To which: _In his dreams!_

And on and on. That is until mildly cursing under his breath, he did the two things she asked.

First change lanes and take them to the lounge.

And secondly, most important of all: _keep his mouth shut_.

Sakaki was wise enough to know that if he didn't comply, sooner or later her handbag would be connecting with his head once they were clear of the road.

_Women._

_He would never understand them_.

~*~

He would never understand the ensuing months either.

As a drink between colleagues became a lunch meet.

Then evolved into a dinner out--something that his wallet suffered for, since Yurika was used to pretty fine dining that also cost a pretty Yen.

But even so, when it absolutely came down to it...were they truly so different and was their coming-together so ridiculous as the new Administrator cried upon finding out about it?

Karasuma shook her head at the mustachioed bald-pated man and smiled, accepting with gladness Yurika's request for her to be Maid-of-Honor at her upcoming nuptials. Michael of course would be doubling as Miho's date and Haruto's Best man.

Likes and dislikes aside.

They wouldn't have had it any other way.

~Finis~

Note: first time doing SxD and the beginning and obvious conclusion of it as well! In less than 500 words! Also hint of MxK ? ;)

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	47. I'm sorry

~I'm sorry~

The first time she said it was the night he had shielded her from the hail of Anti-Craft bullets fired from the gloved hands of Solomon agents.

She was standing over his bandaged body when the words slipped past her numb lips, "I love you."

He didn't hear of course, how could he when his dormant witch blood was stirring do to the assault of negative anti-bodies injected into his blood stream?

But it wasn't the first time he'd protected her.

When he'd taken her to the hidden well in the Raven's flat building. Staying behind to divert their attention away from her...she hadn't forgotten.

Then in Zaizen's office, the bullet of the purest Orbo ever created, fired into his body. That wound had never healed fully and still pained him though he tried not to let it show.

So, she wouldn't worry.

Wouldn't think she was dragging him down.

But she was.

~*~

He never complained when her shaking hands slipped, the needle puncturing his flesh deeper. Her apologies were quiet, promising to never let it happen again. _But what_...she meant, she wasn't ever sure.

~*~

Her apologies sounded fainter.

He was tired and she didn't blame him.

"I love you," she whispered, the door closing silenced her selfish affirmation.

For to love is to let go, and Robin didn't want to let go, not just yet.

~*~

The next agent was an renowned hunter from Prague. One she knew to have a reputation of completing his mission with nary a loss assured. That, Solomon was getting desperate seemed clear to her. That, they didn't have a prayer of a chance for surviving, is what worried her.

She promised, this time...that no matter what.

She wouldn't let him take the bullet for her.

~*~

"Why didn't you do it?!" he sounded angry, though his face was contorted in pain he could no longer hide. The hunter burned in the distance, a conflagration of enmity and caprice.

"You were there," she answered simply, surprised he would need to ask.

The hunter had separated them, binding him with the ropes of Ur.

She was afraid to harm him, being so close to the other.

_That was why she hesitated and that was why_--

"Amon!" her voice is a soft gasp.

Red flows past his fingers clamped to his side.

_--he still took it all for her._

~*~

She couldn't protect him.

This self-revelation comes to her watching over his unconscious form.

He looked a shadow of his former self. _And it's all_--

She didn't say it anymore, rising with one last look into his haggard face. She took a sheet of notepaper up and wrote, her hand steady.

She went back once again, folding it beside the lamp on the cheap, worn bedside table.

_Her fault_.

No last looks, no hesitation in her step as she departed.

Only a single tear rolled down her cheek.

~*~

When he awoke, she was gone.

The note remained.

All it said was...

_I'm sorry_.

~Finis~

Note: she never tells Amon that she loves him! Wah! ;.; I was going more for angst this time...hopefully I succeeded. Post factory of course.

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	48. Voice

~Voice~

There was no reproach in her eyes, no desire for things to be different.

The gun was steady in his hand, his aim sure.

That's all it took, one brass lined bullet inscribed with anti-craft symbols, a memento from former days, kept all for this one purpose.

She fell. The eyes that had looked deep into his soul and pardoned him all his transgressions, closed finally in rest. It was as if she were merely sleeping. A pale-cheeked girl with wheat colored tresses lying in the alleyway, the fire dead at last.

The world was safe.

The Eve of witches, the hope of her race, deceased at last. And by the hand of the one she trusted the most. Nagira might condemn him and call him a fool, _couldn't he have found another way?_

_But there wasn't_, he thought, watching the red pool beneath her body, turning the brackish water left by a recent rain, a crimson rust.

Madness had taken a hold of more than one mind and he did not know how to deal with it.

Her presence had sparked the dormant seed within, his craft the same as his mother's...

~*~

He laughed a pitiless laugh.

The very woman whom he had loved more than anyone, had also become his downfall.

_'Amon...'_

A voice. Her voice. Always soft, gentle. He heard the unspoken order. This was only the second time she had asked something of him. The first was to take her life and now...

_'Amon?'_ This time calling. A slight tease, a playfulness that had been missing during life asserted itself.

A smile he had rarely worn, curved his lips in welcome, "I'm coming, Robin."

~*~

A second gunshot rang out on that quiet Paris street.

~Finis~

Note: what can I say? I was listening to _My Immortal_ by Evanescence twice in a row while writing this. ;.; sniff-sniff. Yes, I must really get out this angst thing...next time, hopefully something happy!

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	49. Fragments

~Fragments~

Her ability isn't great. S-class craft users can still make mistakes, they are-or-were by Solomon's standards, vaguely human after all.

No one is perfect, she thinks, smiling at the young replacement's desire to reach a state of it with her own craft of fire. Better maybe, she agrees with Robin's training, the lighting candles further proof of the girl's potential...but what's this?

Slender, half-moon frames perched on the girl's nose.

Karasuma sees them, knowing their source to have been the man sitting opposite the Hacker. Amon. In all the years, she's worked with the man, she's never known him to take an interest in any of them.

Their worth is measured in bullets and successful hunts. He thinks low of craft users such as her and Robin, so why-?

It doesn't make sense, but Karasuma still hesitates on taking up his paper cup from where it was tossed in the waste basket. The Chief is having a talk with Sakaki again on his misuse of the precious bullets from the Factory; Dojima's submerged in a fashion magazine and Amon has left the room. Robin isn't back yet.

Karasuma takes a breath, peeling her glove back, the first contact with the smooth surface of the cup yields nothing at first. So, she turns her back to the room, fingers wrapping around the discarded item.

Like with the glasses, she picks up the same thing. She told Robin specifically what was on her mind, saying it was easy enough to see, but she didn't tell her his feelings were still there, faint, but still imprinted on the wire frames.

_Robin_.

Strong feeling there.

_Robin._

Again. Karasuma wondered if the young girl was all he thought about. If so...the depth was quite...

"Ms. Karasuma," Sakaki's approach had been quiet, she hadn't sensed him draw near. "What do you have there?"

She quickly set it down on the table, "it's nothing."

They leave after a moment longer of instruction from Michael.

Sakaki isn't entirely convinced of her change of subject, nor is she of her own ability.

Because the last thing--the last emotion she picked up from that cup was-

~Finis~

Note: what do you think was the last thing Karasuma picked up? :)

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	50. No second chances

~No second chances~

Hesitation clouded his mind, sweat made his palm slick on the ball of the mouse.

Dojima had walked out of the room, handbag on her shoulder. Her shift was off and she was feeling a little tired now. Karasuma bade her a quiet goodnight, her own work never seeming to end. Now that Mr. Amon was gone, the remaining elder member was left to pick up the pieces.

A task she often or not found herself doing alone.

_But not anymore_, he thought.

It was either now or never.

Sakaki rose, pretending to stretch, eye cast toward the clock. Michael thankfully took the hint, giving a silent sign of good-luck behind Karasuma's back before exiting into the adjoining meeting room, affording them much-needed privacy.

She didn't notice, her eyes glancing from the computer screen to the paper beneath her hand. "Good night, Sakaki."

_They'd known each other long enough already_. "Haruto." he corrected, stopping beside her chair, jacket folded over his arm. Karasuma straightened from her leaning posture, rubbing at her temples, "you really want me to call you _Haruto_ now?" There was a hint of the teasing he remembered from other days present.

"Yeah, why not?"

Karasuma turned, one fine brow rising, her lips parting to make her incredulous reply.

That is until he stopped her.

...

"And what was that?" she remained remarkably-irritatingly professional despite the fact that he had just kissed her. He--her partner!

A little hurt and a tad bit pink, Sakaki muttered something noncommittally. Obviously she didn't share the sentiment and--"Sorry, Ms. Karasuma." _He had to get out of there! Let it not be said that Haruto Sakaki pressed his attentions on any unwilling woman--even if they happened to be--_

"_Haruto_," her voice stopped him. The sound of her quiet steps meant she had gotten up and was now crossing the room to stand behind him. "There's no need to apologize and..." he turned to see her smile, "call me _Miho_."

~Finis~

Note: I just did chapter replacement. Most likely I'll polish up the former and post it later on. ^^; sorry about that! Any-who, thanks for reading :)

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	51. Above

~Above~

"...Promise me something."

She paused beneath the well, the voice above nothing but that. Just a voice. _His_ voice. The same inflection and tone she remembered save for a quietness to it.

She waited in silence.

A soft exhalation of breath like a sigh. She wished she could've seen his face as he said it. "Keep yourself safe, Robin." It seemed as if there should have been more. The sentence hung between the layers of stone and concrete separating them.

Her disappointment was a soft sigh of her own, "I will. Thanks Michael."

~*~

Above, his hands clenched.

_Coward_, his mind hissed.

_Promise me you'll come back to me_...was what he really wanted to say.

~Finis~

Note: ;^^ sorry for last time. Anyway, I've changed the contents of the previous chapter, maybe later on I'll use the old one.

Hinted MxR, towards end of series.

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	52. The Hunt

~The Hunt~

The only sound was that of the rain spattering the earth and silence. The silence that withered the soul. As a former hunter and one whom had awakened to an uncontrollable craft, he needed to be taken out.

As his replacement and as...his partner, she knew that.

But...it still didn't stop the reproachful looks of Karasuma or the gloom that had descended upon the Raven's flats. No longer could Robin enter Harry's without an underlying sense of guilt. Knowing she'd never see his bent back sitting at the bar or in a quiet corner by himself.

It was only later on that she discovered he had a brother. A half, but still someone left behind. Robin would've liked to have met this man, a shady Lawyer from the backstreets of Tokyo, but Karasuma advised against it.

What could _she_ possibly say?

_I'm sorry I'm the reason your brother disappeared? _

Or. _One day I'm going to be the one who hunts him down?_

Neither way were possible.

Solomon wouldn't allow someone outside of STN-J to know a hunter had gone rogue.

After all...the hunter wasn't supposed to become the hunted.

~*~

His steps lagged, and yet he pushed himself to go on.

They--she was coming.

_Robin Sena, his former partner and_...

Amon closed his blurry eyes, back sliding against the damp brick side of the building. Who'd have thought their positions could be become so-changed in the space of six months?

One slip up and the effect of the old woman Methuselah's craft awoke his own cursed blood.

Amon sometimes wondered if it was her vengeance for so many lives of her kind that he had taken?

_But no matter_. The hand that had been pressed to the soaked area of pant leg came away blackened and bloody.

_This would all end soon_.

~*~

She could face him, Robin was sure of herself. No hesitation on her part would allow for error. He had become something else, not the man whom had begun opening up to his partner and could've--_possibly been more_.

If things hadn't turned out the way they had.

It was Robin staring down the bedraggled, wearied man in the rain, her field a circle of light and arcane symbols beneath her feet. His, broken, weakened severely by the wound on his leg. With it, he could barely stand, one palm of a fraying glove pressed to the wall to steady himself.

Her voice didn't shake, "Amon..."

The light of her craft seared the image of burning flames into her consciousness, imprinting itself onto the insides of her eyelids. _He hadn't even tried to fight back_.

Robin tapped the communicator in her ear with numb fingers, "Michael...this Hunt is over."

~Finis~

Note: A different take if Amon had ended up being the hunted. Auish after the walled city eps.

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Another note: is it Raven's flats or Raven's flat? :P I couldn't remember.


	53. Shadow play

~Shadow play~

The forms were undefined. Vague in the corners of the room, behind every door he opened. His rational mind knew what they were, subconscious fears he refused to fall prey to whenever she left his sight; hunters there to take her away. Destroy the hope of the witches. Such thoughts made unease break out over in a sheen of sweat on his skin.

_Where was she? _In the twilight darkness of the hallway, he searched blindly, calling her name at first quietly then more urgently, receiving not a reply save for the echo of his own voice. _Robin!_ The reverberation bounced along the line of shut doors, taunting his own glaring inability to protect her.

_But he could! He promised_...the clenched hands fell to his sides. _Her_. _And_...

Up ahead he glimpsed loose wheat-colored tresses streaming down a narrow black expanse of slender shoulder blades. _Robin!_ She didn't stop. Did she want him to follow? His body felt unusually stiff as if he hadn't sprinted in ages. He wondered at this development, but soon thought of nothing else except for catching his charge as she slipped further and further away.

_Rob_--The shadowy hallway vanished. Consciousness brought him back to the darkened room, no longer empty, no longer devoid of her presence. Amon stretched out a hand in the dimness to the slim form of a body lying beside him. "Robin..." his smile was rare, relief in the deepest part of his core was felt.

_Because she was the most important thing in the world to him_.

~Finis~

Note: post factory. Thanks for reading :)

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	54. Fear

~Fear~

_Was it sound or was it the racing beat of his heart pounding in his eardrums? _

Distantly the agitated voices of Karasuma, Dojima and Amon, demanding to know what was wrong, reached him. Sakaki groaned, speechless, gloved hands clasping his head, fingers digging mutely into his scalp.

_Get rid of it-Stop it-Please-Please--Make it stop!_ The litany repeated over and over in his mind where there was no prayer. No plea to Heaven but rather on the material plane. Sakaki didn't believe in God, at least not one who loved only his children, 'cause didn't you know?

Witches were the Devil's spawn.

And the blood that ran in his veins, God and Solomon HQ knew, was that of the Devil's.

Not that he believed in the Devil, it was more the harm man did that frightened him rather than some horned pagan God. But it didn't matter...

The terror-stricken face of the man running from imaginary fright, ran like a broken record, repeating over and over on a track until it was all he could see.

He sunk to his knees in a silent cry. _Make it stop-Make it_--

It _did _stop.

"Shh...it's alright."

_Robin_. Her arms gently slid around his sides, her hand lightly patting his back. It _was_ soothing, he thought, becoming conscious of the sense of protection enveloping him; the terrifying images fading.

"Everything...is going to be alright." Her soft voice wiped away the last traces of the desperate fear. It was then in the dim recesses of his assaulted mind, Sakaki realized he could never think of her as being of the Devil.

~Finis~

Note: Maybe vague hint of SxR? But only if you squint;) set during ep: Smells like the wandering spirit. ^^; I can't remember the episode number though. The part about Sakaki being a witch--well a seed--is my own conjecture since it was made clear later on in the series, that normal humans couldn't handle the Orbo, so that meant that the STN-J witch hunters had to be either craft users or seeds. Thanks for reading :)

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	55. Boyfriend?

~ Boyfriend~

Sasaki regretted turning the corner, well maybe not so much lamented his course of action; after all it _was_ his colleague there in a tight spot and it _was_ innocent Robin who was at the center of it, but...that did not mean it gave Amon the right to glare so hard, the rookie thought that if looks could kill, he'd be so dead!

Since where exactly _was Mr. Amon_ when a gangly youth was looking Robin over with interested eyes while she waited to cross the street, small plastic bag of foodstuffs from the convenience store in hand: "Got a boyfriend, sweetheart?" Was the boy's pitiful pick-up line.

To which, Sasaki walking up had announced, sternly with a glare of his own, "I'm him." Then as Robin's pretty green eyes had widened, turning to him wordlessly, he had grabbed her by the arm before she had said something to prove his charade false. "Sorry, I took so long, hon. The traffic was really horrible." Inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief as the guy got the message and strode off, muttering imprecations about _some guys had all the luck_.

Smirking slightly in the direction the masher had gone, he turned back to confront two startled green eyes. Recalling only then, his previous indignation. "By the way, why are you alone?! I mean, it's not safe for a-"

"Amon was waiting for me." Robin said blithely.

And Sakaki instantly got the pricklies on the back of his neck.

~Finis~

Note: slight SxR early series. Thanks for reading *-*

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	56. Girl talk

~Girl talk ~

"Dojima..."

The blond hunter paused in reapplying eyeliner, "hmm?"

An expression of deep confusion that was unusual for the young girl, clouded her face now, what is the difference between a boy- _friend_ and a_ boyfriend_?"

Miho whom had been sipping quietly from a bottle of Deja-blue actually started coughing.

"Um, why do you ask?" Dojima asked in a way that had the elder brunette hunter glowering at her from over the bottle top. Robin gestured to the glossy Miss Teen Japan magazine she had fished out from a stash in one of the lockers. "This article was written for those with boy-trouble-?" she sounded vaguely unsure of herself. Dojima thought she looked adorable. "But I was just wondering, I see Sakaki as a friend so would he be a boy that is my friend or-"

"Robin," Dojima held up a manicured hand, "wait a moment. What brought this on--and why for Gods sakes, Sakaki!?"

The young craft user blinked, folding the magazine neatly on her lap unconsciously, "Sakaki said he was my boyfriend the other day."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed both Miho and Dojima. Well, more Dojima actually.

~*~

Needless to say, later on, Sakaki was furious and red-faced when he received an email from an unknown sender bearing his initials and Robin's intertwined with hearts. He deleted it quickly, lest Amon passing by, see. _Since __he__ did not need to be treated to anymore death-glares_.

~Finis~

Note: anytime during early series. Connected to previous drabble: _Boyfriend?_ :) Thanks for reading

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	57. In Memoriam

~In Memoriam~

"I'm alright...but, what about you?" Michael still enjoyed these little talks in the afternoon or evening, whenever she could slip away from Nagira's care. Though Dojima had said for cover's sake that they had perished in the collapse of the factory; she was only correct on one.

"It's the same, Michael." Robin's voice was quieter, softer, "he's not here but I am."

Amon was dead. About five months after the fall of their old Administrator and his ideals; she had come. Just by chance in remembrance for past days when they had conversed in secrecy, he beside the old well, she below; he had hung around, eating lunch in the shadowy gloom.

But he had never expected her voice to call out to him then.

Inside his heart he had rejoiced to hear what he had always believed in; that she hadn't died as Dojima had lead everyone to believe.

But then he felt another, more shamed sense for her loss.

"I'm sorry," he had said, feeling quite inadequate knowing how much she had depended and cared for the deceased hunter. It hurt him something terrible to hear her quiet sobs from beneath the stone, _all for him. All for Amon_.

_But now she was back in Tokyo_. Robin had explained when she had recovered her composure. _He remembered Amon's brother Nagira, didn't he?_

Michael said he did and smiled slightly, adding the shady Lawyer came around often to pick up Dojima for Dinner, if they didn't have a case ongoing. Those two at least had come to an understanding with each other. Unlike Ms. Karasuma and Sakaki, they were always on the outs since neither could decide who was to pay the dinner bill and chip in for gas later on.

Robin had giggled a little at this only to fall silent a moment later.

_"Michael.."_ she had probed gently, _"have you found anyone special?"_

He had shrugged to the wall then remembered she couldn't see him.

"No," Michael had finally answered, "I have my freedom now, but I haven't found anybody."

She was quiet for a long time after that.

_I haven't_, he thought, lapsing once again into stillness, his hand tracing the edge of the cool rock. _Because you're the one I want_.

~*~

"Michael." She came again the week after that.

He had responded with his usual greeting. Not letting on he had been eating in there for the past week, waiting and hoping she would come again.

"How are you." That was safe enough.

"The same." Was her response.

Michael soon learned that was her answer to every inquiry.

Once Dojima herself had realized he was in on the secret; she had confided in him her own fears.

Robin pretended to be alright so they wouldn't worry.

Robin cried most nights; Nagira and Dojima herself, had heard, standing outside the door to the craft user's loft.

And most importantly; Robin couldn't move on.

Not without him.

Life held no purpose without Amon there to guide her.

~*~

That knowledge; the truth of what he suspected, drove a barb straight into his heart.

Particularly Dojima's appeal to him.

_Make her forget him_.

Then she had walked off; Nagira was waiting for her downstairs.

Michael stayed behind his computer; his head slowly dropping to his hands. In the meeting room across the way; he heard Ms. Karasuma's sensible plans for the night while Sakaki complained of crowds and little parking.

_Unless..._the former rookie had began with a smirk in his voice_. They take his bike_.

Michael tilted his ear toward the doorway; curious about what the elder hunter's response would be.

A grudging submission followed and then a threat not to go too fast. Sakaki had playfully chuckled about her fears only stopping when they came out together.

"Michael, we're heading out now." Karasuma had said absently.

He made no reply, only seeing Haruto reach for her hand as they walked side by side.

Miho had accepted, twining her glove-covered hand in his.

It seemed that for now they had resolved their differences and were concurrent with each other.

Michael stayed for a long time after that, still sitting in his chair, never noticing the screen saver come on over his unfinished work.

~*~

The clock above the coffee station gave the hour as eight when he finally rose.

Quickly now so that he wouldn't find some obscure reason for backing out of the decision; Michael walked fast to the elevator and rode it down to the floor where the old well was.

In the evening twilight, the shadows were longer and a slight chill was in the air. Kneeling down in his usual spot, Michael was almost afraid she wouldn't be there. "Robin?"

Silence then..."Michael, you came."

"Yeah." He agreed, then without knowing exactly why, he smoothed his wayward hair down. "Robin..I..I was thinking about what you said-I mean asked me that time. Do you remember? About if I had found someone?"

She was quiet, perhaps thinking. After a time her voice floated up, "I do."

Michael inhaled deeply, his palms suddenly sweating even though the air was cool. "Then Robin..I know it's hard right now and if you still need time to--to get over this, then I understand." In his haste, he nearly stumbled over his words. "But know t-that I'm always here for you and when the times comes..."

No sound came up from below and his heart began sinking again; but he pulled himself together for the final step. "I'm not asking that you forget Mr. Amon, but I just want you to know..I love you and always have." His voice ended barely above a whisper. His heart was pounding so loudly but strangely he felt lighter.

Clearer now that he'd confessed what had lain inside his heart for a long time.

_At least now. Now she knew how he felt_...

"Michael.." just his name.

"Yes, Robin?" he tried not to sound too hopeful in case she couldn't.

"...thank you." Robin's voice sounded thicker as if she had been crying, "I'll_...try_."

"That's all..." he sunk down, leaning against the low circular basin of the well. "I needed to hear."

~Finis~

Note: the first thousand word drabble! ^^ but I like how it came out. Hints of NxD, SxK, past AxR and future MxR. Thanks for reading!

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

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	58. Take the bullet for you

~Take the bullet for you~

"You're such an idiot," Karasuma said, standing over him. He knelt on the ground, wincing every so often, one hand folded around his upper bicep, red blossoming through the light blue fabric of his jacket. _Damn thing was probably going to stain_. _Since everyone knew blood was the hardest to get out of clothing_ ..

"Maybe." Sakaki agreed; the sound of Dojima's returning heels proclaimed the witch had been taken care of.

Silence stretched between them for a moment, then an element he had never heard before in Karasuma's tone appeared in her sudden question. "Why would you do something like this?"

The answer was clear in his mind even though he had a somewhat difficult time admitting the feeling aloud. "I didn't want to see you get hurt. Call me stupid and all, but I figured, you know, better me than you."

He felt her steady gaze on him, the fluttery sensation he so disliked, started up in his gut. _Focus on the pain. Focus on the pain_. Sakaki knew his face was heating up and prayed in the dimness of the dusk and shadow surrounding them that she wouldn't notice. _And not your embarrassment!_

"You.." there was a trace of amusement in her voice, "really are an idiot if that's the best pick-up line you can muster."

Sakaki felt some relief and hurt that she hadn't taken him seriously. "Y-yeah..." he managed a small grin that quickly turned into a grimace, "I'm the biggest idiot rookie in the whole of the STN-J, aren't I?!"

Karasuma laughed quietly to herself, signaling to Dojima to bring the car around before walking over to him, offering her hand as help. "Cute. Haruto. But maybe next time you could try not to act the hero and instead brush up on your marksman skills?"

Sakaki could feel the warmth of her hand through her glove and the heat radiating from his ears at her next comment.

"Since it really is bad form to accidentally shoot yourself after taking the _supposed_ bullet for someone else."

He could only flush in the darkness as she lead him to the waiting car.

~Finis~

Note: they were hunting a witch and Sakaki shielded Karasuma from the witch's craft and then ended up shooting himself-_somehow_, while the witch escaped. Dojima however saved the day by finishing the hunt. Post factory. Hinted: SxK.

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	59. Coffee

~Coffee~

It's the same, day after day, week after week.

He always orders, "one espresso and a latte, easy on the milk."

You could never tell by just looking at them, that they were lovers. The girl sits across from him, her fair head bowed, he sits as still as a stone statue. They never look at each other the way lovers do, nor touch or hold hands. It's like they're in a little world of their own.

It's puzzling, watching them together.

Their order comes. The man says nothing, the girl moves then, as routine as it is, you can't help but notice the man incline his head for a moment while the girl says grace. Her folded hands unclasp and take up the small gently steaming cup, she raises it to her lips and offers him a soft _thank you, Amon_.

He gives her the softest, slightest of smiles.

~Finis~

Note: post factory. AxR from an unnamed observer. Thanks for reading :) hopefully it wasn't too weird.

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	60. Novels

~Novels~

_To greet, or not to greet. That was question_. Sakaki wryly thought, misquoting Shakespeare. In a small bookstore downtown he had come upon his teammate and newer member of the STN-J; little green-eyed black clad Robin. She hadn't seen him of course, being submersed as she was in a smallish paperback tome that he had couldn't see the title or anything of. Much as he'd like to. For you see, much as he was considered _the rookie_ of the team and second only to being chewed out by the chief-Dojima beat him in that; Sakaki was genuinely curious about _her_.

Especially what she was reading. _Maybe it was_ _the bard_. She did seem the kind to enjoy an old archaic language..or not.

Sakaki had failed to notice the lettering on the side of the bookshelf and Dojima's unmistakable chirrupy voice saying, "ooh! That's a good one!" Until the blond herself appeared a moment later from the other side of the shelves, in her arms were a load of..._trashy romance novels!_

"Really!" His erstwhile partner, the elder brunette craft user appeared beside Robin, glaring disapprovingly at the cheery blond. "Robin's too young for that!" then produced what she thought constituted proper reading. _A nicely bound edition of Hamlet_.

Undeterred, Dojima pressed the red cover Harlequin romance into Robin's beleaguered hands. "Oh, I think Robin is just old enough to read, _Desire!_"

Karasuma looked very unconvinced.

Meanwhile Robin had been flipping through the novel Dojima had given her. After a moment she looked to them confused, "Dojima, why is this man without a shirt?" She was indicating the typical clichéd cover of a scantily clad heiress in the arms of a dashing Highland rogue.

"Well!" the blond began brightly then withered considerably under Karasuma's hawk-like gaze even Sakaki three shelves and a rack of American type Superhero comic books down, flinched. "Uh.." she held her finger up, "ask Amon!"

Karasuma's mouth fell open-well not literally.

Robin looked to the blond innocently, "really?"

Dojima grinned, a deviously evil gleam in her eye, in a falsely sweet voice she continued, "oh, yes he definitely will!"

Sakaki cringed and made sure to make a mental note to steer clear from Dojima. Who knew when she'd decide to sink her claws in him...

~Finis~

Note: thanks for reading :)

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	61. Romeo and Juliet

~Romeo and Juliet~

Daylight.

At first she dared not voice her hope, just concentrated on keeping the man beside her upright. He leaned heavily on her, breathing becoming steadily harsher as the pure orbo fought the witch blood in his veins and slowed his movements.

"Robin.." she heard the catch in his tone. A weakening in the strength she had known. She felt the warmth of his hand through her sleeve. "Go."

Just that. Surrender to the inevitable and she couldn't-wouldn't do as he ordered.

"No." Her eyes closed to the falling debris and shaking of the floor beneath her feet. She knew he was angry, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"You-"

"I..I won't leave you." She cut him off. "I won't be that kind of person, Amon. Understand." Resolutely she turned from the crack of daylight that only she would fit through. "I'm staying..." in the dim darkness, she heard the ceiling splintering, cracking with the weight of the upper floors collapsing. Briefly she thought of Karasuma and the rest of the STN-J and hoped that they were safe.

_Please God_...

Robin felt herself being drawn against him, his good arm wrapping around her protectively. "..with you." she whispered as the darkness became total.

~Six months later~

"Ms. Karasuma." Michael had gotten the report that morning; Solomon HQ had faxed it, most likely because of Dojima pulling strings that they'd managed to stay in the loop.

He wished they hadn't.

Miho was stirring creamer into her cup of coffee when he approached.

She read his expression and briefly hesitated before taking the four-sheet sheaf of crisp white paper. Miho had only to scan the first section. Her throat tightened then and her eyes felt funny. Prickly as if she were about to cry.

"Call a meeting." she managed to keep authority in her voice and yet still give the bespectacled boy a light pat on the shoulder. _He had been close to her too_.

Michael had wandered to each computer terminal and quietly announced _Ms. Karasuma had something to say to them_. One by one, Sakaki, Dojima, Administrator Kosaka whom had been loitering over Dojima's shoulder, giving her a hard time; filed into the darkened room off the main office floor.

Miho was already there, standing with the papers in her hands.

Twice she looked over their hesitant, expectant faces.

_She didn't want to say it_. She glanced to the names framed by black boxes and the label above each. Three times Miho cleared her throat and hoped the tears wouldn't come, at least not until she was alone. She didn't want to cry for something Dojima had said was true, only because she herself and-everyone else had secretly wished it wasn't.

But here. In plain black and white was the crushing of those hopes.

"Amon and..Robin..." Miho's gaze was blurring from the sheen of liquid clouding her eyes. "have been confirmed dead."

The reactions were instantaneous.

From Sakaki's swearing, to Dojima's pain. Miho knew then that the blond had been with them all along hoping that the two hunters had escaped the collapse of the factory. Miho couldn't bear to look in Michael's direction, instead her eyes dropped to the small seemingly added on text written originally by hand given the curved signature beneath it.

"They were found...in each other's arms." Miho read aloud.

It was signed _Juliano Colegui_.

~Finis~

Note: ;.; I just had to write this one before the conclusion to 'Novels'

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	62. Slice of life

~Slice of Life~

Like coffee, faintly lingering from the morning's espresso.

Like soap, cleanliness and purity.

He looked forward to her kind words and listened for her quiet step always accompanied by rustling skirts. He was sure she didn't realize just how much she meant to him, how much more he wished they could do together...

But, alas, Michael could only content himself with her presence and the slender slice of the life he wished he could have with her.

~Finis~

AN: MxR I know, I know the conclusion to drabble 'Novels' was supposed to be this one, but I haven't polished it up yet. ;.; sorry! And thanks to everyone who reviewed last time! ^^

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	63. Inner monologues

~Inner monologues~

It was hard to say whom showed the most astonishment.

Well, that wasn't true. Amon kept his expression cool and detached like always, and Michael whom the lead hunter always suspected of having a teensy crush on the girl, simply choked when she walked up, holding out like some kind of peace offering..

The kind of book macho men in trench coats like Amon, avoided like the plague.

One belonging to the romance genre.

Amon scanned its predictable cover impassively.

_Half-naked __blond __swooning in the arms of a __dashing__black-haired rogue_...

Wait a minute.

He froze in his prior musings on just how the teenage girl had gotten a hold of such rubbish.

"Amon, why is this man without his shirt?"

_Surely she cannot be so_-- Amon's inner thoughts were stymied with those emerald green eyes filled with naiveté and purity, looking up into his face. He took it back. _She could be and was_. Probably something having to do with being raised in a nunnery...

"Amon?" Robin said questioningly

He did not just flush the tiniest bit. He emphatically refused to believe he had. "where did you get that?" Amon saw her recoil slightly at the harshness of his tone and found himself regretting speaking in such a way--_where had that come from?_ Mentally shaking himself, Amon strove to regain his former cool detachment, all the more aware of the young girl's green-eyed gaze on him.

"Dojima recommended it to me."

The lead hunter unconsciously clenched his fists at his sides_; that explained it then_. _That woman was going to be_...

Robin started back as he swept past her, looking not so unlike his romance novel counterpart-sans the lady. "Um, but Amon! You didn't.." she bit her lip as he paused dramatically, allowing her a glimpse of his sharp, disapproving profile, "maybe when you're older." Then, stalked off to continue the hunt for the errant blond, leaving a slightly miffed Robin in his wake.

(*~*)

"..what's up with that?" she murmured to herself, disappointedly. She switched her gaze then to Michael's covert eavesdropping, her expression brightening, "Michael, can I ask you something...?"

~Finis~

Note: poor Michael. ^-^ and Dojima is so dead. Thanks for reading ^^ slight AxR and MxR

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	64. Competition

~Competition~

He might not have noticed the difference, had Karasuma not remarked on it.

Something strange was affecting the young men of STN-J; _Amon only later realized he wasn't included in that sentence_. Morning greetings it seemed were in vogue as well as opening the car door for certain blond-haired green-eyed craft users, as well as serving refills of coffee with a jaunty attitude and--as a concerned Amon began to note.

With a side of what could only be construed as_ flirtation_.

_Such an evil word flirtation was_, the lead hunter thought darkly, observing from his base-the computer terminal he was excessively fond of- rookie, Haruto Sakaki's interaction with Robin. It seemed Sakaki had just happened at the same time to be lacking in stashed chips-etc, when it came time for little innocent Robin to leave for lunch at Harry's.

Everyone knew Sakaki like the resident hacker, survived off of bags of Cheetos and assorted junk foods.

_In the spirit of kindness which the girl seemed to have an abundance of_, Amon mentally added, _which many namely a certain rookie whom couldn't shoot a witch even if said witch was stationary in front of him, liked to take supreme advantage of_--

Robin asked in her sweet, quiet way if Sakaki would like to accompany her.

And the rookie, despite Amon's best attempts at psychic attack was thwarted. The rookie said yes and grinned idiotically as if he had just scored big time on his Gameboy. Amon made a mental note to subtly increase the rookie's work-load in the coming week.

(*.*)

But, that was only the beginning.

Amon whom had always been very aware of Robin's presence now noticed _another_, namely a certain orange-haired hacker with tinted glasses becoming overly friendly and whom whose eyes followed the blond craft user like a little lost puppy in love.

Now, Amon couldn't have that.

Robin was a hunter and Michael-was well...just a puppy with a collar, leashed to Zaizen.

He couldn't leave the STN-J building without permission and he basically had no money of his own in which to even buy her something online and have it delivered to her apartment.

Or so Amon thought.

Tuning out Chief Kosaka's mutters about less money and expenses on fancy coffees. Amon didn't put two and two together until he was out with Touko and she absently mentioned a box of imported Italian Espresso having arrived the day before addressed--you guessed it.

To Robin.

The sender remained anonymous.

And Amon was less oblivious about his competition.

(*~*) Finis(*~*)

Note: during early eps. ^^ with hints of SxR, MxR and slightly jealous AxR! ^^ thanks for reading!

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	65. Follow you into the dark

~Follow you into the dark ~

The first time Robin saw them together in the rain beneath the umbrella looking so perfect and right; she knew there would be no place in his heart for her. She tried, oh, she tried ever so hard to appear cheerful the next morning despite what she had seen.

She even teased Touko about it.

Her roommate brushed it off with a blush that belied her true feelings.

Touko loved Amon. Robin could see it, refusing to blind herself to the truth. _What she..what she felt paled in comparison_.

_She was..young. A craft user besides. Amon wouldn't take a second look at her_.

_Not again in the way he had looked at her the first time_.

Her hands pushed the rough-textured sponge across the counter. Suds reflected tiny rainbow worlds, perfect rose-colored images from a fantasy. Robin saw herself reflected in them, a slender pale-cheeked creature in black, the stretch of skin exposed from her rolled up sleeves was almost pallid in the muted afternoon light.

Touko was at work; Robin had been sent home. The chief again had issued a stern, yet kindly warning. _There was more to life than the cases they received. She was young yet, with a long time ahead of her before age and decorum stated that she lose her vitality in a stodgy office_. Dojima would've snapped up at the chance to get away from the office and responsibilities. But _she_ had only to meet _his_ dark, inscrutable gaze and any objections that were to leave her lips, became silenced.

Flown away from her mind like caged birds once freed.

Robin saw him in her mind with Touko, the images replaying over and over like a broken record player. She knew then that she couldn't face it. _Not now_. _Later. Her mission depended on it_. She wouldn't disgrace the man whom had raised her by allowing her heart to mess with her senses.

She couldn't be a fifteen year old girl in love; that went against her very nature. Hadn't father Juliano praised her on her powers of deduction and possessing the very skill required for this important task?

_Not normal. I can't be _...the moment her finger touched the fragmentary dream-world encapsulated within the bubble._ Touko_.

It shattered.

Robin never knew the words Amon spoke to Touko; the woman she had envied a little and yet wished happiness for. Robin never saw them walk again in the rain, she only glimpsed the tissues sodden with the tears from a broken heart and felt the looks directed her way every time they passed each other to go their separate ways.

_Jealousy_.

Twice Robin had hesitated, outstretched her hand toward Touko's back, wanting to find the words to ease the woman whom she considered a dear friend. _Robin didn't make friends easily, so she had no desire to lose any of them._ But each time...

Her hand would fall, curl against her long skirt and each time the door would slam shut. It was like another door was closing in Robin's heart and opening to a new, more precious world.

_Another time_, she would whisper in her mind. In her deepest of hearts, she vowed she would find the words to heal and everything would be alright. -There would always be more time-

There was never was.

Touko was still in a coma from the raid on their apartment.

Robin pressed her fingers to the glass of the window, inside Touko looked so tiny and fragile hooked up to all those large machines regulating her breathing, keeping her alive.

_My fault_. Green eyes filled.

Karasuma's hand on her shoulder, stilted the torrent that threatened to overflow her floodgates.

"It's not your fault." The brunette psychic had said comfortingly. "C'mon, let's go. There's nothing more we can do for her now."

_But it had been_. _Karasuma just didn't know it yet_.

Robin's fists clenched. _I know now what I'll say to you, Touko. Just wait...when you wake up_-

_Amon had been there for her and not protected Touko._

_Amon didn't love Touko the way Touko loved him._

_He_-

-_loved her_.

Robin realized it the moment his gun lowered. The order father Juliano had issued for her immediate hunt, still rang in her ears as clear betrayal of the most hurtful kind. Yet he...

_Didn't. Betray her_.

That was why...she left with him into the darkness leaving Karasuma on the path to the world of light. Because Robin couldn't imagine a sheltered world created by her friends without him there with her.

~Finis~

AN: it's been...really too long. Anyway this was longer-to make up for the absence of these little drabbles. I was actually in the mood for another MxR (on a happier tone) but this came out instead and I rather like it. :)

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	66. Unexpected

~Unexpected~

Things that were unexpected, unanticipated were things that happened in the STN-J office quite frequently. Planned hunts sometimes went awry despite Amon's best efforts. Witches escaped when certain fire craft users were a tad bit overzealous and once in a while the occasional orbo bullet went astray in a public area.

All in all it was an arduous, tiring job and one that while being thankless as most of the general population hadn't a clue that witches really existed; it was for the good of humanity in the long wrong. At least Amon told himself that. Well, before in his usual abrupt way, asking-er demanding Robin come with him.

The young craft user looked from up her terminal and the latest unsolved case she had been studying. Not wanting to repeat himself, he affixed her a glance of meaning. _No questions_. Silently, to his relief, she complied. Rising with her usual delicate grace and softly rustling step; two heads noticed and perked up from one of the neighboring terminals. Dojima, attempting to look busy and Michael being persuaded to aid her in her quest for department store coupons.

He was very aware of the golden-haired vision of gentle femininity looking up at him with curious, absorbing emerald green eyes; but was also ever more aware of the aggravating titters Dojima suppressed behind the heel of her hand. The blond was congratulating herself on **another** successful matchmaking venture. No doubt she was giving herself credit for the tiniest nudge he had needed to be set on the right path.

Amon gave her no credit. It was more difficult than usual however, to send her a death-glare when Robin was looking at him fixedly with those damnable eyes!

To disguise his preoccupation, he said curtly, "come. We have work to do." Then spun on his heel, his black coat flaring out with the sharp movement. Robin followed slightly faster than her usual sedate pace, reaching the door he-surprisingly was holding open for her. A tiny blush dotted her cheeks and she seemed a little more breathless, whispering, "thank you, Amon."

His traitorous heart gave a tiny leap. But his face remained impassive, betraying nothing but the faintest irritation when he let the door slam hard. Dojima's titters became full-blown giggling.

The death-glare had lost its efficiency.

(*~*)

"Where are we going, Amon?"

Robin's question broke the awkward silence filling the car's spacious cab. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, letting the streets filled with Tokyo's nightlife pass them by. He had enough class to reserve a table at a better place than a cheapside bar.

One that though neither were exactly appropriately attired for; they knew him well enough not to bat an eye at the long coat disguising a gun holster nor Robin's antiquated sense of style. From the corner of his eye. He appraised her fine profile. He felt better that her eyes weren't on him, at least now he could regain some of his focus. "You must be starving, how about I take you to this place I know." he paused then made an effort to sound less commanding; like she had no choice."My treat."

Her eyes swept his face, her voice solemn and quiet. "That's fine."

Silence fell again, but this time the discomfiture was less. Amon knew he wasn't good at these things; but he was sure-or very much convinced of it from Dojima.

_That Robin...shared the same feelings_.

_Confusing though everything was-between right and wrong-and his orders_-

"Karasuma?" Robin's quiet tone carried with it a note of surprise. The tell-tale VROOM of a motorcycle, one like the kind the resident rookie of the STN-J drove, pulled up alongside them in the next lane. Amon immediately would've said the woman in a navy pantsuit and a matching navy helmet **wasn't** the stern, second-in command craft user. He'd have disclaimed it instantly had his attention not been drawn to the motorcyclist himself.

_It was unmistakably, Haruto Sakaki_.

Amon almost didn't notice the light had changed.

_Dojima didn't_..._match-make them...as well...did she?_

With a loud boom and a muffled yell from Karasuma, the motorcycle was gone.

"They looked...happy." Robin said softly, she was looking at them fading into the distance.

"Yeah." he ignored the irritated honk from another vehicle behind them. "I guess Dojima wasn't kidding..." Robin turned to him, a question forming in her eyes. Amon shook his head slightly, indicating it wasn't important. "Let's go have dinner."

..._opposites do attract. Maybe we have a chance after all_.

~Finis~

Note: early series after he dumped Touko and kind of ignoring canon events. :) I wanted something rather light-hearted with AxR and SxK. :) thanks for reading!

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Reviews appreciated! ^^


	67. The morning after

~The morning after~

"..pick you up later, babe."

Sakaki heard from a distance the indolent tones of the shady Lawyer dropping Yurika off then the telltale smooch that followed. Accompanied by a breathy girlish giggle.

One could believe it was the sigh of an _action-less _night that had prompted the rookie hunter to sigh with a heaviness unlike his usual space-cadet attitude. The truth was that Sakaki had gotten more than a few rounds of action. _Who knew the mild-mannered Miho Karasuma was such a_-

He forced his thoughts to proper channels.

_It was the damned Sake's fault_-

His mental chatter was briefly halted by the smooth slide of the elevator doors and his erstwhile partner's somewhat irritated call. "Sakaki, are you _coming_?"

Sakaki mentally slapped himself for the image that innocuous phrase conjured up. _Act normal! _"Uh..um yeah!" Then scrambled to join her in the lift. As they ascended _slowly_-it seemed, the many floors of the STN-J building, Sakaki snuck a sidelong glance at the woman standing a few feet away. Immaculately coiffed auburn hair, neatly pressed light pink suit, white dress shirt with tiny pearl buttons at the cuffs. All in all an epitome of severe, definitely unruffled authority. Lowering his sullen eyes back to himself, Sakaki observed with some detachment yesterday's shirt and ripped jeans. If he were to look into a mirror, he'd see the same head full of semi-wavy unruly light brown locks made even messier by a night's activities that were for sure not going to be repeated.

Despite them sharing a ride after Karasuma had offered so graciously in as few words as the passenger's side door clicking open; an uncomfortable silence had lapsed between them. Karasuma's only communication with him had been the brief sentence about needing coffee which could've been what she said to herself every morning even when alone, and the question about _coming_.

Sakaki wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all until he felt her glance at him curiously. Hastily he coughed into his hand, feigning congestion. "Just allergy. Nothing serious."

It was safe to say, she wasn't convinced.

Not by a long shot.

_Damn_...returning to his thoughts from minutes before, Sakaki pondered the easy, platonic thing they'd had weeks before. _If he had known things were going to be this awkward after the Master had poured the Sake_...

The elevator glided to a stop at the top floor where the office was. Sakaki steeled himself to go past her without saying anything. Back to pretense where they were superior and subordinate, leader and teammate.

The grate slid upward, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, counting on the speed of his Converse All-stars to the high-heeled pumps that flaunted well-toned-

_Focus!_ he warned his wandering mind. As nonchalant as possible he made as if to stride ahead when a soft noise-the clearing of a throat stopped him in his tracks.

"Sakaki..."

_Oh, boy here it comes_.

To Sakaki's surprise, he heard the quiet click of her heels cross the space behind then...out into the small corridor. "Ms. Karasuma, I-" he began, wanting things to stay the same and yet at the same time hoping for some teensy sign that she didn't consider what had happened between them a mistake.

"About last night." Karasuma half-glanced over her shoulder. "Haruto..I don't regret a single moment of it." Then in a slightly more serious tone even though her eyes carried a note of teasing. "You weren't _half-bad_...to not be able to shoot the side of an alleyway."

His mouth fell open, "h-HEY! I've gotten better-! Ms Karasuma!"

But she strode away, laughing quietly to herself.

-Finis-

Note: post factory. =.= sorry about not updating this collection for over a month.

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Reviews always treasured ^^


	68. Sticky notes

-Sticky notes-

The first one bore only a time.

12:00 AM. Michael wondered at the innocuous scrap of paper, the thin line of glue on the back of the note sticking to his fingertips. Whom had left it? His curious eyes behind the tinted frames lifted, glancing about the quiet mid-morning office.

Karasuma impeccable in a light pink skirt and suit held a file case, talking in muted tones to the Chief about something. Soft clicks and occasional yawns came from Sakaki whom lounged in the chair at his usual terminal. No. No reason to believe it had come from those quarters.

The sound of liquid sloshing into ceramic drew his gaze to the windows and Robin clasping a cup of coffee. _Little Robin_... he paused a moment to study the slender young craft user illumined by the warm sunlight.

_Could it have come from her? _

Michael considered the probabilities and impossibilities that it had.

Thin fingers folded around the sticky note, crumpling it in his palm at Karasuma's approach.

_Yes,_ he decided. _He liked the thought that it had_.

Around noon, Michael had risen for a brief stretch of his limbs-better known as lunchtime. On one of the lower floors of the STN-J were vending machines mainly appropriated for his use by the Administrator. Like with all things such as clothing and a bed he rarely slept in; his general needs were seen to.

Pocket change included.

Armed with a frosty can of Bepsi and his favorite Octopus flavored chips, Michael made his way back up to the floor of the office. He knew almost no one to be there as surveillance was going to kept on a suspect for their new case. A late-arriving Dojima and Karasuma had been shrugging their black issue trench coats on when he had quietly left.

Now, he reentering the office he found his guess had been correct. Near silence greeted him. Hattori and the Chief were mumbling over expense reports on their side of the desks, paying no attention to him. But, that was alright. Michael was used to that.

Crossing to his desk on the outer end of the stations, he missed it at first, busily setting down a corkboard coaster for his soda. When his eye fell on it, his heart instantly gave one traitorous leap.

Printed on a yellow sticky note:_ Tonight._

He was almost positive it was Robin's handwriting.

Ten pm. The blinds had been drawn over the windows, shutting out the night. The glow of two computer screens brightened the dimness as the recessed lights lowered. The hunt had been a successful one with-for once Sakaki not being an idiot and botching things up. Even Amon whom was difficult to please, had in passing gave a look.

And one that wasn't a glare.

Michael found his anticipation mounting as the digital clock on the bottom taskbar of his computer read 10:41 PM.

He barely heard Dojima's slightly giggly: " 'bye Michael!"

Nor caught Karasuma's shooing motion and warning look.

No, all he heard was Robin gathering up her coat, Amon was waiting for her by the door.

His expectations were dashed.

"Amon...about the pair of binoculars.."

Robin's Terminal had been left on. Michael really wished she had remembered to turn it off. Rising, he stretched his hands to the ceiling, tugging his sleeves down as he went. Stopping before the pushed in chair, he tapped the mouse a few times to get the screensaver to stop running.

The black chrome window flickered back on.

In the middle of the screen was a digital sticky note.

_Rooftop_.

Michael checked the time.

12:04 AM.

He had kept her waiting.

Taking the steps two at a time, Michael clutched at his side before pushing through the partially open door. At once the cool night enveloped him. His lungs long used to the must and recycled stale air of the office, contracted with sublime joy at the purity of the night.

Then a rustle of skirts swishing over gravel drew his eyes to the slim-backed girl, silhouetted by the darkness.

She held out a pair of Night Vision binoculars, forgiving of his lateness.

"Robin..." Michael said, feeling the warmth of her fingers as their hands brushed.

She smiled and her eyes lit up, "it's a perfect night for star-gazing."

-Finis-

Note: sorry I haven't updated this collection in a while =_= I adore MxR so I had to write a sweet one. Thanks for reading.

No flames-haters-!

Reviews always appreciated :)


	69. In the Kitchen with Amon

The empty pan stared at him from the burner.

Taunting. Mocking.

_Well, he'd show it-!_

Grabbing the crate of eggs from the counter, Amon with reflexes trained to flick out guns from the holster and to lock and load at a second's notice; now were employed in a slightly more- menial task.

Cooking breakfast for Robin.

After all didn't it usually fall to the man to provide for a woman after a night-of how shall we say-? _Activities that shall remain between the two people whom participated in them-private_. Amon thought so, deigning to forgo the apron folded on the barstool counter. Innocuous though an item it was, the color was still- pink!

Pink of all colors!

Even though in doing so he was risking his black pants and hastily thrown on vest over dress shirt. The sleeves he'd rolled up past his elbows had been saved the initial explosion of the egg yolks bursting in the pan.

Somehow he was sure this occurrence wasn't natural. _Maybe there was something wrong with the eggs-?_ His naturally suspicious nature sounded the alarm bells, all the while his outward facade remained impassively calm. Amon carefully kept an eye trained on the pan while snatching up the ergonomically designed spatula of vaguely Italian origin...

Ten minutes later.

"Is something burning?" The delicate cadence of the familiar female voice came quietly and with a hint of sleepiness to it from the doorway behind him. Amon sent one last triumphant glower to what remained of the _beaten_ eggs; swiftly turning to the right to deposit his magnum opus of limited culinary knowledge on the ceramic plate he had foresight to set on the counter.

"Robin." As with everything, there was barely a trace of tenderness in his voice when addressing her. However he did allow a little flourish of the hand to the plate piled high with _Dressed eggs_. "Your breakfast."

The green eyes that had so enchanted him, now widened marginally at the meal he had so carefully prepared for her. Then slid almost guilty to the freezer. "Amon.." her voice was quiet, soft like a child's lisp. "There _are_ frozen waffles in the freezer. You didn't _have_ to cook."

-Finis-

Note: just a little something around the theme: The morning after :) thanks for reading.

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Reviews appreciated C:


	70. Insert foot in mouth

There she had been going for a mile a minute- or maybe _five miles_, about the pluses of a mule a wedge and a sensible Espadrille. What was the sense or importance of any of that? As far as Michael was concerned, a mule could not- being of the shoe variety and not an old-fashioned cart puller; build firewalls, provide surveillance or allow him to surf the web at astonishingly ridiculous speeds.

"What is the use of that?" The words were out of his mouth in a quiet sort of mutter before his mind had time to process the effect they might have on the fashion prima donna. Dojima of course having said minutes before about the cute rise in this summer's heel.

So, she had no choice but to assume his critique was in response to her comment.

"Well, I guess a man like you isn't going to appreciate the subtly flattering increase to a woman's height since all you men ever think about is-*-" Here it is believed that Karasuma who was enjoying her cup of iced coffee picked up from Wacdonald's; choked on crushed ice and nearly sloshed some of the light brown liquid onto her impeccable white blouse. It was a good thing that Robin had trailed after Amon since this was **not** suitable talk for little former nuns to hear.

Karasuma had to count her blessings on that before allowing herself to become suitably shocked. "Yurika!"

The blond crossed her purple-slack covered legs, pouting as her Jimmy Choos flashed into sight. "I'm right though! That's all they think about are their dicks!"

Karasuma looked like she wanted to faint and/or disappear into the floor.

Michael being the receiver...well... "Miss Dojima, I assure you however flattering your recognition that I do belong to the male species, I must say I do not think about** that** all the time."

"Oh?" A blond eyebrow crept up toward the wavy layered haircut.

_"Give it a rest, Yurika!"_ It must be said that Karasuma tried.

But, Yurika ignored as always the sage wisdom of virgin-like spinsters, her blue eyes positively glowing with feigned innocence. "How often then?"

Michael shrugged, stretching with affected nonchalance. "Oh, well..I think about sex-"

A light footfall sounded.

"-like every ten minutes." Michael in his quest to appear more worldly failed to see Karasuma's horrified look over her shoulder at the silent approach of a most unwelcome addition to their little conversation.

It was Robin.

-Finis-

Note ;p sometimes these just come to me. Thanks for reading :)

No flames-stupid comments!

Reviews always appreciated :)


	71. Dubious intentions

Karasuma was right to be suspicious of Dojima's motives.

After all when had the blonde's so-called _brilliant spectacular_ ideas ever pan out to be something less-disastrous than say last year's Christmas/Mistletoe incident?

Sakaki still received glares for that.

Now this new one...

"Get Amon to admit there's something between him and Robin!"

Karasuma almost spilled her iced tea with this one. "What makes you say _**there is**_ anything between Amon and Robin, don't you think she's a little young?" Ever the rational one, the brunette craft user listed in her mind a number of reasons why the de-facto leader hunter and his partner _**wouldn't**_ be a perfect match.

The blonde pouted, "oh, why do you always have to shoot down my fun?" Her eyes glittered. "It's something I can feel-and see the lurve toniiiight!"

Unfortunately Michael wasn't around this time to correct Dojima's lack of tune.

"Keep your voice down, Yurika." Miho could already feel the stares from some of Harry's other lunch-time customers. She began to regret then ever accepting the invitation to lunch since all Dojima wanted to do was pitch her plan that was doomed to either flames or...a round of orbo bullets from Amon.

(*)*)*)

"Well, if Amon's out of the question. Who else is suitable for little Robin?"

Karasuma would've face-palmed had the action not resulted in getting them flipped over while she made the three-point turn; _she hadn't given up yet? _ In pursuit of a suspect; she had been unwillingly paired with Dojima.

The roar of a motorcycle zipped past, the hunched over figure wore a black STN issue jacket, but there was someone else with him...

"Sakaki?" Yurika visibly brightened as her tone held a light, hopeful note.

Not understanding, Karasuma had to repeat herself a few times. "Wha-what?"

Two perfectly trimmed eyebrows met over light blue eyes. "For Robin." The eyebrows then waggled meaningfully. "As a date."

Miho had a reply to that- or would've, had Amon not barked directly into her eardrum.

"Karasuma! Follow Sakaki! The witch is getting away!"

(*)*)*)

Token indignation was one thing Miho had a lot of. Unspoken-yes, but nevertheless still there.

Maybe every rookie had his day when he successfully hunts a witch, but that did not mean Sakaki should've taken Dojima's advice or was too thick to notice the warning looks his _usual_ partner sent.

_"Grab a bite to eat..the night is still young."_

Maybe it was the weather heightening the blonde's instinct for self-preservation, or it was just Karasuma's unusual streak of wonderfully prodigious misfortune.

Could've been a combination of the two as Amon's onyx eye did twitch the next morning when Sakaki and Robin walked in-almost together, talking- mostly the rookie as the green-eyed pyrokinesis user was smiling a little and showing some signs of life.

"Where did you _two_ go last night?" The cool distinctly resounding male tones significantly made the temperature drop. The emphasis was unmistakable.

Dojima was sweating bullets.

"Omotesando." Sakaki shrugged carelessly. "D-"

Suddenly _the blonde_ piped up. "Karasuma suggested it to them."

A deathly silence fell.

-Finis-

Note: hinted SxR c; thanks for reading.

No flames-haters-stupid comments!

Reviews always appreciated :)


	72. Place palm to face

The STN-J office went completely silent. The reason for the absence of the usual tik-tik of the keys as Michael surfed the net...was the death-glare that Karasuma was sure would reduce the hacker into ash beneath Amon's expensive black boots within a matter of moments.

Maybe he would add Dojima too; the brunette craft user could only hope, with a selfish-seeming wish that Amon would see her diligently scanning the file on a unsolved case-even if she had only just then noticed it was upside in front of her.

Perhaps God-or some arcane deity was actually listening since a few minutes passed and Michael though pale with matching red spots on his cheeks like Robin, wasn't ashified. Karasuma had to rescind her previous assumption. _Pumped full of Orbo bullets_, as Amon wasn't a pyrokinesis user like _little Robin_.

"Is that so?" The incongruous words came from the lead hunter's stony profile, the frostiest of little smiles curving his thinner bottom lip. Upon glimpsing it from the top of the manila folder, Karasuma was instantly chilled. She was sure the world was going to end.

Or at the very least, maybe Robin swoon?

Neither happened.

"..Michael. The layout of the warehouse where we believe the witch has taken refuge in, has been sent to my terminal. Correct?"

It was interesting to see the many colors of pale a boy whom didn't have the privilege of going out into the sun, could descend through. "Yeah..I-I was working on it..now, M-Mr. Amon." The hacker sounded so faint, Karasuma thought he _might_ actually faint and came very close to feeling sorry for him.

Particularly when Amon swept past her to stand and lean in low at the boy's shoulder. "Every minute and a half." The hunter's baritone carried far past the hacker's sensitive eardrums. Dojima was petrified with a _deer-caught-in-the-headlights-on-the-highway-to-Nikko Toshogu _look_. _

Karasuma didn't even want to know Robin's look.

"What..?" Michael asked, sounding very confused, perhaps in the belief he had gotten off scott-free.

But, with Amon...and that smile. One never got away with anything.

"Sex." The black-gloved hand fell heavily on the frozen shoulder, clapping it twice. "See that you send that layout map. _Little Michael_.." the smile curved into a very masculine smirk or maybe it was Amon's version of a dark-leer.

Whatever the case, Karasuma hadn't needed to know that much.

_Men! _

-Finis-

Note: mini sequel to _Insert foot in mouth_. Hopefully Amon-kun wasn't ooc. :) thanks for reading. No flames!

Reviews appreciated :)


	73. Raindrops

"Geez, Robin! What're you doing out here by yourself?" Sakaki winced a second after the words had left his mouth. He sounded like a bossy hen..._or Ms. Karasuma_. Shuddering to himself, he almost missed the green-eyed craft user's soft voice.

"I went for morning prayer and the storm came up." Her solemn green eyes turned up to the dark gray clouded sky. Beads of liquid clung to her hair like tiny luminescent pearls.

"Without an umbrella?" for emphasis he tilted the round dark canopy more over her head. "Even your pigtails are drooping!"

A tiny frown creased her forehead, "they're not pigtails."

_They aren't?_ Sakaki despite the droplets currently pelting his collar and seeping through the thin material did the first thing that came to mind after Robin's slightly annoyed reply. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" the craft user murmured, pouting like she had been slighted since she didn't understand the cause of his amusement.

"It's nothing, _little Robin_." Sakaki said, adopting the Chief's manner of patronization.

That earned him another pout followed by a slightly confused _thanks_ as he gave her his umbrella. Heading off into the rain bareheaded.

"But, what about you?" Robin called after him, her thin voice evaporating into the fine mist of the falling drops.

"I'll be fine!" A cheery wave then he had dashed off.

He knew he'd probably regret the moment of chivalry yet her concern..._was something rare in their line work_.

(*)

"ACHOOO!"

The sneeze was heard around the office.

"Gross, man." Michael muttered discreetly, hurrying to shield his computer screen from flying germs. _Go figure_. Sakaki glowered from behind the tissue Karasuma had so quickly procured, a look of distaste flashed his way.

"Cover your mouth, please."

"Hi, guys." Dojima cheerfully called, peering in yet upon seeing his red nose and everyone's shudders. "Oh! You know," the blonde held up a finger, "I heard from the Chief that if you give your cold to someone else, you'll get over it faster!"

For moments, no one spoke; if anything the hacker shrunk lower in his seat hoping to not be included in 'someone else' as he was just an _office fixture_ after all. Then, Sakaki started forward, the blonde locked in his sights. Dojima's infamous sense of self-preservation better known as -_bad-for-Miho-and-everyone-else_-, went on red alert.

Heels were heard clattering away to relative germ-free safety in the hallway.

Sakaki turned back, disappointed.

And where you might wonder, was Robin the little craft user whom the rookie had sacrificed his umbrella to a few days before? On assignment with Amon somewhere out in the Tokyo streets since that morning.

Sakaki sighed.

Karasuma began edging subtly toward her terminal, already contemplating the Zicam she had stashed in her locker.

"Ms. Karasuma..." Sakaki started, looking to his partner with bleary, hopeful eyes.

"N-No-"

Needless to say there were two sneezes above hapless Michael's head later on in the day.

-Finis-

Note: Wah! It's been so long since I've updated! ;.; I actually had a few started just hadn't polished them up... *sorry* Drabble timeframe: early series

Thanks for reading!

No flames!

Reviews appreciated :)


	74. Halloween night

The bowl of popcorn sat on the table._ A burglar? _Nagira thought, carefully setting aside his thick fur coat. His eyes darted around taking in the dimly lit living room of his small flat. For once, Hana had managed to kick him out of the office saying he needed to get decent rest and- need she mention _not at the Pachinko place_.

Reluctantly, he agreed, knowing full well one doesn't argue with ladies unless they want a handbag in the face. He had learned that partly from experience with his secretary and his girlfriend-

A sound like a creak.

Nagira's thoughts halted momentarily, his stance changing to one of Judo. He wished he'd thought to wear in the small revolver currently residing within the glove compartment of his car. _Oh, well_. He hoped it was merely a knife-armed robber, that he could handle. "Okay, bud, I know you're there. Just co-"

The lights flicked on.

He started back, instantly dropping his karate stance. "Yurika!"

The blond chuckled by the light switch, "oh! Was the big man scared?"

_Slightly too gleefully_- for his comfort. He straightened his tie, looking away, "yeah, yeah, laugh it up. By the way, what're you doing here? I thought there was..." _of course_. Yurika looked innocent all of a sudden. She had ducked out on extra work.

"..well, Miho did say it was Halloween!" she pouted, "so, I just thought I'd come over here and crash with you tonight- since old geezers wouldn't be much fun to go out partying with!"

"So, now I'm an old geezer, huh?" Nagira was used to her cracks about his age. Lowering himself to perch at the edge of the middle cushion, he gestured to the TV and plastic cases he hadn't noticed before beside the popcorn.

"Oh, just some movies Sakaki lent me." Her eyebrows waggled suggestively as she made her way over to sit near him. "They're scary!"

_Scarier than knowing the Eve of the witches personally? Or taking potshots from craft masters that had been sent to hunt her? _Nagira chuckled heartily, "what's the worst you could show me, little lady?"

Yurika smirked up into his face, her blue eyes glinting mischievously, "we'll see, big guy. We'll see..." she loaded his combo player with the remote, the first disc in the slot she'd had forethought to load, began...

(*)One and a half hours later(*)

"That wasn't scary at all!" he scoffed as the credits rolled down a black screen. He wouldn't have admitted it, being a man and all, but that last sequence had been..._a little...you know_. "Yurika, this is- Yurika?"

He turned around sharply to find she had fallen asleep, curled up, her head against the opposite sofa end. _And she called him an old geezer!_ Frowning down at his slumbering girlfriend, Nagira halfway stood meaning to tap her on the shoulder and tell her to call off this horror flick marathon.

"Yuri-"

Then, he heard _something_ out in the hallway, outside the front door.

He sat back down _fast_, trying to remember whether or not he had fastened the door properly.

The DVD player whirred, changing discs.

He jumped when eerie music punctuated the deep silence.

Then, rolled his eyes at himself, reaching over Yurika's sleeping form to snatch at the remote under her folded arm. _He was a man not a-er- coward, yeah_. Smirking to no one in particular, he leaned back, holding the remote at an angle to the player.

He would finish out the remaining three flicks- judging by the cases on the table near the kernel-strewn bowl, which he didn't really feel like refilling since the kitchenette looked slightly omin- _dim_.

He wasn't about to let a few films that would scare a lesser man- scare him!

So, he thought.

Nagira risked one tiny glance to the shadowy corner by the door.

_Was it him, or did the shadows seem a little darker-?_

(*)A few hours later (*)

"Mmm...Nagi..ra?" Yurika rubbed at her eyes, yawning widely. Her neck ached from the uncomfortable position. "..why didn't you-"

He was frozen. Sitting as still as a statue on the edge of the sofa cushion, staring wide-eyed at the screen as Ju-on 3 ended.

"Hey," she tapped him and he jumped a foot, twisting around wildly. A blond eyebrow rose, "where's the ghost?" she laughed under her breath, patting his arm reassuringly. "Did you watch them all by yourself?"

"Y-Yeah." Then, the hint of a cocky smirk, "I did."

"So, what'd you think?" she asked, suddenly business-like.

"Well..."

She didn't miss the quick, nervous glance he shot to the door.

"..I didn't get scared one bit."

She smirked, not believing him at all.

Especially when he grabbed her arm, starting as a small noise like something fell came from the tiny hallway in the back- _where his bedroom was_.

"St-stay with me tonight, Y-Yurika." Nagira _almost_ sounded _pleading_.

Her smirk widened, "suuuure."

(*)

Nagira left the lights burning all night; which amused Yurika.

Yet he still maintained, he wasn't _scared_.

-Fin-

10-31-2010

Note: probably should've done it last night- but meh, there you go. NxD for Halloween. Thanks for reading! Set: post factory.

No flames!

Reviews appreciated :)


	75. Snowball

-Snowball-

She had seen snow a long time ago. But, not as much. Fat white flakes drizzled from the dark grey sky. Cleared piles created slick, slushy paths for people to walk through..and her nose was cold. Peculiar for a craft user of Fire.

She rubbed the overlarge gloves Amon had given her permission to remove from the glove compartment. Her small, thin hands swam in the glossy lamb leather. Amon's taut hands clenched the steering wheel, wearing his others like a second skin. He guided the car through the slippery roads, watching keenly for traffic, expressionless save for a flicker of annoyance burning deep within as Sakaki cut them off, zipping by on his motorcycle.

An apologetic backhand wave was sent their way.

Amon didn't acknowledge it.

Silence unbroken until she sneezed in the crook of her elbow.

Then, a click sounded as he reached slightly forward to twist the knob of the heater.

Robin sighed inaudibly in pleasure as the temperature rose several degrees from the heated air slowly blowing out of the vents. She was glad of the gesture though a pink tint did rise as expertly he pulled into a parking spot beneath a skeletal tree lining the park edge.

"Warmer?"

"Yes, thank you." She murmured, feeling her body temperature rise another few degrees from his careful query. For a moment they sat there, snowflakes gathering on the windshield.

"Rob-"

Anything he was about to say was suddenly cut off by a sharp rap on her window.

A little startled, Robin turned, her green eyes widening as Dojima mimed the window rolling down. An arctic blast gusted inside, thankfully cooling Robin's cheeks as she did what the blonde wanted.

"Dojima, what is this? Where are Karasuma and Sakaki?" Amon leaned over, the faintest whiff of spiced cinnamon men's cologne wafting over his partner.

"It turned about to be false! The factory called the hunt off!" Yurika informed brightly, shoving her hands into her fur-lined Parka pockets. Stylish of course. Her boot heels clicked rhythmically as she stepped back, feigning being put out. Amon indicated silently they should get off the car. Robin nodded, climbing out, instantly shivering from leaving the car's warm interior.

"False?" Amon growled quietly, his glare muted from sight as he shook flakes from his hair. "Why weren't we informed of this?"

Robin thought of Sakaki passing them.._the opposite way_.

Dojima blinked, her blue eyes dropping to the phone in his hand, a smile curling her lip-glossed lips. "Check your cell."

He remained expressionless, yet the furrow between his brows deepened.

"What is it?" Robin queried softly.

He looked away, but didn't answer.

Dojima did it for him. "When Michael couldn't get through because of..low battery, Miho asked me to hang around and wait for you guys to arrive. By the way...why were you late? You're usually the first ones at the scene."

Amon didn't furnish her insight with a reply. Coolly extending his hand over the car roof, "give me your cell."

Robin caught the blonde's tiny smirk, handing over without another word, her pink flipside dangling with many _un_-macho baubles. Amon said _nothing_. Not even blinking as he took it, pacing away a short distance to call up at the office in privacy.

Once he had left the general vicinity, Dojima's eyebrows waggled gleefully, "let's have a snowball fight!"

"A-what?" Robin looked around confusedly. In all her time of seeing snow she had never been allowed to touch it- let alone play in it.

Yurika picked up on that fact right away, a pink Sherpa-lined glove snaking out to snatch at her wrist and tug her the opposite way from the car. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

A hint of dubiousness asserted itself on the former nun's pale cheeks and rosy nose. _Fun?_ Robin pondered the word, _hearing Father Juliano's various reasons for her not to go out and play with the other children of the convent_.

Yurika abruptly dropped her wrist with a heavy sigh, stomping over to a fresh snowdrift and palming some of the white stuff in between her mitts. "Guess I'll just have to show you."

And as Robin opened her icy lips to ask _what was it Dojima wanted to teach her?_

A snowball pelted her right in the face.

...

Amon could hear giggles yet attributed them to Dojima. _The blonde had far too much energy and cheerfulness in this weather than ought to be allowed_. Let alone the fact that her story was true.

His cell had died.

Thereby Michael was unable to reach them as Robin had left hers back at the office.

It was a wasted excursion. Growling under his breath, he was on the point of turning around when a suspicious _whump_ resounded in the still winter air.

"Who...threw that snowball?" He felt the cold squishiness of it sliding down the back of his ankle-length black trench. His gloved hand tightened around the innocuous pink phone that so wounded his pride to use. At least none of the male populace had seen him use it.

Silence fell.

Amon cut it with a deadly glare.

Dojima froze.

Robin looked between them, her green eyes rising to his face. Her hands released extra snow clumps. "I'm sorry, Amon. I did it." She said quite contritely. Gazing almost..imploringly into his face though they were a short distance apart, Amon felt himself strangely being drawn in..

He snapped out of it, briskly shaking his mental state from drifting into channels not deemed proper to be having. Much less the growing difficulty in being that he wanted to act upon them.

"Let's go." Amon said abruptly, striding briskly to the car, ignoring the dampness of his coat from the errant snowball.

Robin followed and Dojima sighed in relief.

_Now..that wasn't right_-

-Finis

Note: was inspired by snowflake pendants at the Mall. Lol. And the subtle idea that Amon forgave Robin for hitting him with a snowball when it was _actually_ Dojima. C: hehehe. Thanks for reading!

No flames!

Reviews appreciated :)


	76. Normal

She'll never know what it's like to be normal. Rarely did the thought ever cross her mind even when being trained to supposedly- be normal by Solomon teachers. _Get by among the masses, pass for another person on the street_. _Hunters were supposed to be like anyone else, even if they were not_.

It's all the same.

Robin was conscious though, of her newly-cut hair and the subtly stylish clothing that felt like it belonged on the bubbly figure of Dojima; _she always tried to stand out_. The sunglasses were a little too big but Robin tried not to mind. She was more conscious of the man beside her, keeping step even though he could easily out-distance her with his regular stride.

She thought he looked ...handsome, in the clothing he had chosen to complement her _change_; but the words would never leave her mouth. Robin had practiced years of keeping it in how she felt toward him- her former partner, guardian.

Now the years had passed.

And she felt the lack.

The difference.

The young couple ahead of them, broke hands then rejoined, soft giggles tinting the air with happiness.

Beside her, Amon kept his sharp obsidian eyes tilted away, always on the look-out for danger, never seeing...her.

Robin clenched her laced fingers around the slim pink handbag.

He would never hold her hand.

-fin-

AN: this is probably not very good. But, please bear with me. I wanted to post something for the two-year anniversary of this fic and here it is.


	77. Touch Sensitive

~Touch Sensitive~

"-Sorry."

Miho wondered _why_ briefly, her ungloved fingers folding in on themselves. The keys dropped with a mild clangor that went unnoticed for the most part by the rest of the office. The man- no _boy_, she thought, for he was a boy with an unruly mop of light brown hair and smooth skin free of age. The standard-issue black hip-length jacket hung from narrow, _too thin_ shoulders.

He noticed her look, self-conscious in clearing his throat, awkwardness in his manner as he gestured futilely between them. "Chief told me..you know-?" Haruto Sakaki trailed off, obviously uncomfortable saying the words. _Mentioning her ability._

She hid her smile, at the same time the tiniest hint of sadness interposed her thoughts. "I can't read your mind just by a single touch."

He looked at her, surprise giving rise to the faintest of color dotting his cheeks then away, muttering, "oh, I see. Guess that was just idiotic then."

Miho could sympathize. Most if not all the hunters employed by Solomon HQ were in some way connected to the abnormal, the aberrant side of humanity:_ the witches_. Whether as fully awakened to their crafts, or containing the sleeping genes somewhere deep within the blood. The boy before her was one such specimen. A seed whose family had probably been on a watch-list for years until he had come of age. Sometimes the choice was given to either become the hunted or the hunter. Sakaki's family had chosen the latter.

She hoped it had been the right decision.

This hunt was most likely the first time the boy would be out on the field.

_Between life or death...seeing firsthand what separated them from the witches_.

"Not at all." She noticed his glance drop to the car keys, muted longing in his brown-flecked irises. Deliberately, Miho slipped her gloves out from her coat pocket, sliding them on as he watched. Then, once the snug leather clung to her fingers and shielded her craft from use; she picked up the keys and held them out like a peace offering.

Sakaki eyed the proffered keys, a boyish smile twitching into being on his face, "thanks." The slightest inflection lent a deeper meaning to the single word, one that touched something inside. Her lips curved into a return smile.

Her gloved fingers and his bare ones remained subtle pressures against one another.

_Sensitive contact_.

Amon's curt, commanding voice came from the doorway to the office, Kate a slim form beside him, her face expressionless. "Move out."

The moment was gone.

Sakaki still with a faint happy grin, moved away and Miho followed, her brow quirked in slight confusion as to her reaction toward the boy. Eventually the upcoming hunt preoccupied her mind, leaving only the minutest question unanswered.

_How long had it been since she had truly smiled-?_

Note: This is pre-series. Vague SxK. Thanks for reading.

No flames.

Reviews appreciated ^-^


	78. One of them

_Their ways were different_.

Kate heard that a lot in the first days of the application sent to the Solomon satellite office in the states.

_They didn't kill witches_.

"That's a change." She said flippantly to David one morning, while the coffee was still warm in their cups and a soothing mild bitterness on her tongue. She was in control of her craft, she had nothing to worry about, right?

STN-A deliberated for a week on sending one of their S-class hunters overseas.

It wouldn't be the first time when a foreigner was selected to serve another witch-hunting agency. Each had their own techniques and inner circle of leaders, or so Kate had been lead to believe. Some were harsher, with little tolerance for the seeds they employed.

Or awakened ones.

Like _herself_.

"S-class hunter." She repeated to the youthful reflection in the bathroom mirror some days before heading into STN-A's office. _As a reminder_. Her lips curved into a smile. She supposed it was only natural consequence in her line of work, to feel slightly insecure with one's _person_.

Solomon's law decreed that the craft users were on the side of right.

Unlike the aberrant ones; the witches.

But, all that could change within an instant.

Kate knew it.

Leaving for work, she always paused at the door to look back across her small apartment in uptown New York, to the framed photograph of an older woman on the mantel. Her mother whom had died in the line of duty to Solomon HQ.

"Maybe one day, mom...I'll go out just like you." She said solemnly, gazing at the image of the face she knew so well. "In service to humanity..."

The sentence followed a wistful smile and then the door closed with a gentle snap and click of the lock.

She failed to hear the fine crack that split across the glass surface of the frame at her words.

-TBC.

Note: Kate is barely mentioned during the series, so I may have taken some liberties with her character. Please note also, that this is pre-series. Thank you for reading ^-^

No flames

Reviews appreciated ^-^


	79. Faith

There were seconds, only moments left.

He murmured something, something soft, leaning forward until their faces were only inches apart. Robin barely felt the paper his gloved fingers carefully pushed into her tightly bound hair, there was just his closeness...and _his eyes_.

It was like the first time their eyes had met in the hallway of Harry's.

_Sadness_, she glimpsed, _loneliness_.

Everyone saw the _coldness_.

But, Robin had seen beyond that.

And even before Amon pulled back, she knew.

He was not coming with her.

Resignation underlay the other emotion he couldn't hide from the world anymore.

Falling back into the darkness of the well, Robin cried his name over and over.

"Robin..until the next time I see you.." his sentence still echoed in her mind long after it had faded in the silent, musty air.

Gunshots splintered the quiet.

The sound of a body falling.

She cried even harder eventually turning away from the hidden opening, some instinct keeping her moving forward. She had to have faith.

Faith in her God that she wouldn't be forsaken as a witch-child.

And faith in Amon...he would come back to her.

He promised.

-Finis-

Note: set during the last mins of Time to say goodbye. Sorry for not updating; personal problems have gotten in the way.

No flames

Reviews and kind thoughts appreciated :)


	80. Letters to home

-Letters to home-

He asked what she was writing one evening. Her prayers had been said, a simple meal consumed, darkness lay heavily against the grime-encrusted windows. Robin never complained about the state of the string of safe houses he took her to, that was something he was secretly glad for.

So, a brief flash of surprise flickered across his face, a darkening of suspicion in his eyes as faint color tinted her cheeks and her long thin hands cover the plain white sheet covered with clumsy Japanese characters.

"N-Nothing, Amon. Just a grocery list." Her lower lip trembled, her eyes flickered from his face quickly then away like a shy little bird. Robin was a bad liar. In a moment of weakness, one he ultimately knew stemmed from her very presence, he decided to let it slide.

_This once_.

"Turn the light off when you're done." Then he went to the small closet-like room beside the mirror image next door. Once inside, the door closed, the scratching of a labored pen continued. Amon paused his nightly ritual of cleaning his small arms collection.

_He wonders who she's writing to?_  
...

Two nights later, Amon caught her at it again. Bent over a sheet of paper, pen in hand, her teeth nibbled at her lower lip, as she paused on thinking up something else to write.

"What are you doing?" He demanded with a hint of harshness in his tone.

The same performance was repeated as before, but now a glimmer of fear sparked in her green eyes.

He disguised his shame well.

"Time shouldn't be wasted on trivial things such as that."

Then, he walked away, unsure of why she brought out the best and worst in him.

In a quiet undertone, Robin murmured, "...it's not.._childish_."

...

The scattered leaves of paper went quickly.

Expressionless he purchased more.

And at night the sound of her pen scratching kept him awake.

...

Austria. Boulogne. And many others.

She wrote several pages from a tiny island near the Italian coast where the salted air blew in through open windows and the water sparkled like emeralds.

It was dangerous taking her so close to the small nation where Solomon's influence was particularly felt.

But, it was all worth it...he thought one day, just to see the life come back to her eyes after returning to her adopted homeland.

...

There were no words exchanged when they left the crumbling villa in the miniature forest of trees, only on paper.

...

He told himself it was only precaution that motivated him to search the small roll top desk in her room. The article of battered furniture had remained in the two story townhouse at the fringes of the dying quarter.

His hand extended toward the knob of the single thin drawer, tugging sharply when it proved stuck. A sheaf of folded over papers, creases neat confronted his obsidian eyes. Hearing alert for any sound that preceded Robin's reappearance, Amon gathered a handful and glanced cursorily over the contents.

Robin's handwriting flowed across the first page.

_To Dojima_.

_Karasuma_.

The letters to the former spy contained observations on various fashions throughout Europe. While the letters to Karasuma bore remarks on Local history and questions on well-being.

_Sakaki. _

_Michael._

_Nagira. _It wasn't so much a surprise as a certain emotion Amon refused to think of as jealousy.

_Master Kobari_.

Even the doorkeeper and their former Chief Kosaka had a letter penned in painstakingly neat Japanese.

He found the last one under the short goodbye to her Grandfather.

_Amon_, it read on the sealed envelope.

_They had stopped using each other's real names long before_.

He read the small epistle with a growing numbness. For a long time afterward, he sat on the edge of the narrow bed, the letter lax in his hands. Just a sheet of plain white paper with a single line on it.

Distantly he heard the creak of footsteps on the stairway.

Then, the creak of the rusted hinges, Robin appeared, a little bird in a black jacket and pants. In her arms was a ream of plain white paper and a packet of pencils.

_His little bird_.

Her inquisitive green eyes went from the stack of papers to the one in his hand, a question was posed to him as their gazes locked.

"..yes."

A smile broke out over her face as such when the sun parts the clouds on a stormy day.

"I do." When he opened his arms to her, she went willingly, returning the embrace in a paroxysm of rarely shown emotion. Amon finally loosened his hold and looked down to the letters, her gaze following his alighted on the same, a delicate flush tinted her cheeks.

"Amon..?" she bit her lip, hesitant as a child in trouble.

He smiled slightly, just the faintest hint of a rare smile. "Let's post them."

...

Months later, the hunters of the STN-J were surprised by letters arriving a year or two after the original dates born on the corners in Robin's neat writing. Some brought humor, others sad smiles to the faces of the ex-spy and a little bit of hope.

A unanimous decision went around those at the office and even filtered into the Tokyo underground where Nagira's shady office was located.

The letters were treasured and would _not_ be turned over to Solomon HQ.

Amon and Robin had found their own little bit of home in each other; no one could take that away from them.

-Finis-

Note: it has been too long. -.-; *my bad* I found this one unfinis in my doc box and polished it up for you guys. Hope you liked.

No flames!

Reviews always loved :)


	81. The Hunter is Prey

-The Hunter is prey- (AU) for Halloween: SxR

There were many thoughts going through his mind at that moment, many which his old partner Karasuma would've said were juvenile and to focus on the task at hand.

Sakaki would've gladly done so had his body not been focused on doing the exact same thing.

Running.

Racing through the night streets, his heart in his throat, a silver crucifix clenched tightly in his fingers. Sakaki ran his mind over several prayers in Latin, indispensable to a hunter but knew all had failed in sight of the _Nosferatu_.

A swift shadow obscured the moonlight in his path.

He felt the chill of the tomb gust across his back and shuddered violently praying it wouldn't end this way. _Yes, he was stupid to have gone out on his own, disregarding Amon's warning, sure he hadn't expected to find her there in the crypt. Reports were misleading sometimes and_-

"Why do you flee from eternity?"

The voice so soft and low like the coo of dove, came from the throat of a slender girl standing ahead, blocking his path to the Church.

Sakaki froze, whipping his hand into his open jacket, hand connecting to the cold edge of the gun loaded with silver bullets. A touch colder than that of the deepest winter laid itself on his cheek, feather light, the vampire gazed up at him revealing herself to be no more than a young girl. Pale wheat-colored tresses framed her delicate features, eyes of pure absinthe green flickered with age and untold eons of bloodshed.

Mesmerized, Sakaki slowly let go of his gun, slipping away into the depths of her eyes.

The vampire clasped his other cheek and turned his head to the side, baring the line of his smooth skin below the light brown curls ending at his hairline. She brushed a kiss to his warm flesh, relishing the shudder of pleasure it evoked in the young hunter. _She had been thirsting for the blood of a fresh kill for too long it seemed, even greater the triumph, to feast on the blood of one of the wretched hunters!_

Robin Sena caressed the young hunter, inhaling his masculine scent.

_He would make a fine fledgling to turn_.

Her fangs glinted delicately in the moonlight.

Crimson rubies colored the night.

_Finis_

* * *

Sometimes he sees another.

When the warm curl of steam punctuated the air and a sweet, soft feminine voice came from around; Michael would often turn and find a cup of freshly made coffee awaiting him with a smile.

"Coffee-?" Echoed another voice from the past. It really wasn't so long ago when he thought of it. _So, long_ other times, that Michael had to fumble, accept the offer and repeat the name in his mind before it was transferred to his lips.

"Thanks, Robin."

_Not_. _**Thanks, Kate**_.

Their similarities struck him forcefully at different points.

Different times.

Was it the fair head bowed over the computer screen, late at night, working hard to earn that recognition-? That implicit trust as a valuable team member? It was like that in the beginning too- Michael remembered. Kate too, even with her impetuous, fiery nature had wished for the kind of approval only a comrade could give.

_Acceptance_.

But, it came at a cost.

Michael turned up the volume on his headphones, hearing the quiet clatter of keys from down the curve of the desk terminals. _It was pleasant_, he admitted albeit silently to himself to have Robin there. _As...Kate had once done_.

He only hoped- no prayed, if there was some kind of divine being overseeing the world, even if it were only the God of the witches; he prayed fervently Robin would not suffer Kate's fate.

-Finis

Note: early series. Now, the reasoning behind my referral to Robin being like Kate will be explained in a later drabble set in the middle of the series. Dedicated to Rebbie-chan whom requested a little more of Kate, since most fic writers tend to skim over her.

No flames.

Reviews always appreciated ^_^


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